2. It is a love song
In this song, a woman muses about her love for her Thai-based husband who received an unexpected call that required him to fly immediately out to Cambodia on an urgent mission, leaving her to deal with uncertainty and longing. Throughout this song she laments over him being gone forever but hopes they may reunite at some point in their lifetimes.
The song’s lyrics explore the emotional distancing between couple, set against an atmospheric melody. Repetitions of Cambodia represent unresolved loss that have yet to be addressed and remains an eye opener on how war and its impact on its people still resonates today.
Vartey Ganiva has written songs addressing social and environmental concerns that may be seen as critical of her government, yet doesn’t wish to appear too critical herself. According to her account, she has been warned she will be subjected to censorship if she continues composing these pieces and believes this government attempt at silencing artists.
She attended Takaksen Sala Primary School before continuing her studies at Neth Yorng Women High School, becoming famous quickly when she earned first rank for both smotr and storytelling singing with two senior schoolmates of hers, Huy Meas and Pen Rorn, in short order. Through them she got the opportunity to work alongside SIN Sisamut as well as many renowned singers such as TOCH Teng, SOS Math, MEAS Hokseng, MAO Sareth, CHHUN Vanna and KEO Montha among many others – eventually even becoming close with General SREY Ya.
3. It is a song for children
Arn Chorn-Pond closes his eyes when playing his flute and inhabits two worlds at once: one is where he was when under guard from soldiers from the Khmer Rouge regime that came to power in 1975, decimating his family, home, and school; while in another is this moment when reclaiming his Cambodian identity through music which the regime sought to erase: an act that marks both worlds as one.
Song composition is always improvised by musicians playing it, often with accompaniment from players of oblique bamboo flutes with reduced ambitus known as pei-pok and metal jew’s harps. Additionally, other instruments including bamboo khloy or leaf (souch) instruments may be employed by some performers as well.
When Cambodian music was at its zenith during its golden era in the ’60s and ’70s, artists steeped in traditional vocal techniques collaborated with professional musicians attuned to new sounds they heard over radio from US Armed Forces stations just across the border in Vietnam. This produced a genre-defying combination still revered today but also taken up by younger Cambodian musicians as an avenue into exploring their own cultural heritage and creating connections to their past.
Kea Sokun’s music has proven controversial with Cambodia’s government, who are keen to court garment workers as potential voters and fear any criticism about labor policies. In 2020, Sokun was arrested after releasing a song critical of how garment workers are treated by government; human rights groups soon complained and it was taken down from online platforms but remains available via other sites.
Chorn-Pond was finally freed after four years in prison and returned home, speaking publicly about his experience and realizing music could help him fight to reclaim his Cambodian identity. With guidance from master musician Youen Mek, he learned to play flute again – then began traveling around his native land playing music for children who had never witnessed or experienced an instrument – leaving parents and grandparents weeping tears of gratitude behind them as he performed for them.