KEO Setha became the first female singer in early 1950s with her singing partner, SIN Sisamut. Being very beautiful, she had the sweet voice to entertain Khmer people for the whole decade of 1950s. She was titled “Nak Chomrieng Somneang Sarika”. Based on the information from the comment on Youtube, she was the original singer of the song “Anusavry Prek Chhlong” which the song remained with second version sung by SIENG Dy. When she sang that song in Kratie just a moment, the audience could sing this song very well since this song described the scenery of the nature along Prek Chhlong. In early 1960s, she got married and did not often show up for public singing. Until late 1960s, she moved to live in Kratie Province. Being disturbed by bombs from US military on Viet Cong troops in Kratie, she decided to come back to Phnom Penh in 1972. Seeing a chance to alert the old memory, SIN Sisamut went to ask her to sing the second version song, “Reatrey Chuob Pheak”, had been sung together in 1950s. They sang again in that year, her voice was still good and this song remained until today. No information for her life in Pol Pot Regime was released, but she was known to be one of the lucky famous singers being alive after this black regime. She fled to live in France and came back to Cambodia sometimes; in 2004 she showed up one time singing the song “Reatrey Chuob Pheak” with a new singer, PHAN Sophat, during the Birthday Ceremony of King NORODOM Shihanouk. “Conserving the golden age of singing, let’s learn and establish the new creation base on the rule of lyric and music in the past!”
(Source from Comment on Youtube Video by Cambodian People)
By: POK Panhavuth
