Ros Sereysothea, Cambodian History, and Artistry That Lives On

roval9
7 days ago
4 min read

Cover for her single "រំពឹង រំពឹង" which translates to "Expecting Expecting".

By: Rafael Ovalle

Sereysotheas Background

Born in 1948 in the Battambang province in northwest Cambodia, Ros Sereysothea (Khmer: រស់ សេរីសុទ្ធា) was born as a daughter to humble field workers who worked hard agricultural labor in Cambodia's countryside. Growing up she sold food such as boiled snails for a living in street markets and eventually gained stardom with the help of her friends who persuaded her to join a regional singing contest. She won the hearts of locals in her community after winning the regional singing contest and shortly after, she relocated to Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh in 1967 after being scouted during the contest.

Phnom Penh's Golden Age of Artistry

While in Phnom Penh, she became well acquainted with prominent figures in Cambodia's music and film scenes, collaborating with many prominent artists of her time such as Sinn Sisamouth and Huoy Meas. Phnom Penh at the time was known as the golden cultural hub for those all across the country to perform and show off their artistry. The country was experiencing a cultural renaissance with people turning to art as a form of self-expression, many becoming singers and taking inspiration from western music genres such as rock and roll. Being inspired by Heavy bass lines, synthesizers, and guitars due to rock music being broadcasted in the neighboring country of Vietnam during the Vietnam war, Ros Sereysothea began taking inspiration from western music and implemented these new sounds into her own craft creating roughly 500 different songs respectively. She’s known today as the queen of Cambodian rock and was recognized at one point by Cambodia's Head of State, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, who gave her the honorary title of the "Queen with the Golden Voice" for inspiring and uplifting the Cambodian people. Some of her most well-known tracks are: Chnam oun Dop-Pram Muy (I’m 16), Old pot still cooks good rice, and Voy Ho (Maok Pi Naok) feat: Sinn Sisamouth, Pan Ron, and Dara Jamchan.

Cambodia and Vietnam

Unfortunately, due to Vietnamese military and Cambodian governmental alliance during the Vietnam war and due to Cambodia's geographical proximity to Vietnam, Former US President Nixon ordered a nonstop influx of bombs in northern Cambodia to put shipping supplies and collaboration between Cambodia and Vietnam's northern and southern territories to a halt. Unfortunately, Cambodia was being bombed every day for 4 consecutive years with some bombs and land mines not having detonated to this day causing major hazards to the jungles and routes in northern Cambodia and in parts of Vietnam as well. Ros Sereysotheas Music and the renaissance of new instruments and sounds being introduced to Cambodia helped the nation's people cope during tough times, however unfortunately, times would only get tougher after the Vietnam war.

The Khmer Rouge

During a coup that overthrew Cambodian powers in the Capital city of Phnom Penh in the spring of 1975, the Tyrannical Marxist group known as the Khmer Rouge used guerilla warfare, harsh labor, inhumane torture methods, and execution in order to maintain their newfound power over the now Communist nation. The dictator Pol Pot created the Khmer Rouge in order to make Cambodia an agrarian and cultivating nation where its citizens were all equal in class and in turn get rid of ideals that were influencing Cambodia such as Capitalism. Music and pop culture such as television series and films that were created during Cambodia’s golden age from the 1960s- mid 1970s were targets of the Khmer Rouge's destruction as they were seen as western propaganda.

The Cambodian Genocide

Because of the Khmer Rouge, it’s estimated that 2 million Cambodian Citizens were killed and roughly 25% of the nation's population unfortunately perished during the four bloody years of radical Marxist oppression from 1975- 1979, many Cambodian citizens becoming refugees across the country and many even fleeing the country becoming refugees in the United States, France, and Thailand. Today the countless lives perished at the hands of the Khmer Rouge is now known as the Cambodian Genocide/ Holocaust and unfortunately the queen of Cambodian Rock, Ros Sereysothea was a victim to the Khmer Rouge's Tyranny. The Khmer rouges main targets were intellectuals such as teachers, people in power, and artists of all mediums including painters, poets, and musicians who were no exception to the Rouges killings as they were all seen to be influential figures. Ros Sereysothea and her family evacuated Phnom Penh and moved north into the countryside, though not much is known about her and her immediate family after they moved into the countryside it is widely speculated that she worked in agricultural labor for some time before she was executed as she was seen as a threat for being such an influential figure in Cambodia.

Ros Sereysotheas influence today

Though many of Cambodia's films, music, and art having been destroyed during the Genocide of the Cambodian people, many of Sereysotheas music was shipped overseas as a way to protect her music from being destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. Today Ros Sereysothea is a cultural icon in Cambodia with many in the country being inspired not only by her catchy and at times emotional music, but also by her humble beginnings and rise to success seen by her honest nature. Today younger people in Cambodia and throughout the Cambodian diaspora including cities in the United States such as Long beach California and the state of Massachusetts (who holds the most Cambodian refugees who escaped the Khmer Rouge's destruction) are seeking to restore Cambodia's almost forgotten age of Rock and roll, with acts such as Dengue Fever who take inspiration from Cambodia's Golden age of psychedelic rock. Thankfully her songs along with the many other talents all throughout the country during Cambodia's musical renaissance can be listened to and enjoyed today as the age of streaming, musical discussion boards online, films such as The Killing Fields (1984), Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten (2014), and short form video platforms make finding music more accessible to all. Though the country of Cambodia today is dealing with poverty after the many years of internal and external conflict at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, American imperialism, French colonialism in the 19th century and also having to now deal with border disputes caused by Thailand, the resilience and experiences of the Cambodian people during times of hardship should be remembered and told as a way to have new generations be aware of this history and to have Golden voices such as Ros Sereysothea inspire people of all generations to overcome any fear.