ROS Sereysothea was the most famous female Singer in Cambodia before Pol Pot Regime. She was born on November 06, 1948 in Damnak Luong Village, Wat Kor Commune, Sangker District (Battambang District now), Battambang Province. Her birth name is ROS Sothea with several nicknames: Rey, Serey, and Serey Suor. Sothea’s father, ROS Sabun, was born in Changva Real Village, Roleang Neak Commune, Kompong Tralach District, Kompong Chhnang Province; he was a former soldier in French Colonial and the traditional music teacher. Sothea’s mother, NATH Samean, was born in Kompong Luong Village, Wat Kor Commune, Sangker District, Battambang Province and was a housewife. According to the video interview with her both older sisters, Sothea has 5 siblings (4 sisters and a brother) including ROS Saboeurn (born in 1942), ROS Saboeurth (born in 1944), ROS Sokunthea (born in 1946, brother), and ROS Sorphorn (born in 1958). Both of her older sisters and her father survived after Pol Pot Regime because they stayed in Battambang during the fall of Phnom Penh; ROS Saboeurn has been living in Battambang after Pol Pot Regime with her orphan grand children.
In her childhood, Sothea was a good child and could sing since she was 2 or 3 years old. Her father also taught her very well how to sing with traditional instruments for wedding and other ceremonies. Then she always went with her father to sing in nearby villages to earn money for her family support. In the early age as a child, in her free time she usually sang the songs for her family. She likes singing the songs of MAO Sareth and other singers’ songs. Therefore, her voice was blended in the good manner for singing the sweet long voice. Talking about her favorite snack, she likes to eat green mango, banana, and other fruits with prahok chili sauces. According to KEO Chanbor, Sothea would love to go visiting her teacher, BUN Thorng, who was Chanbor’s father and close friend of Sothea’s father. Chanbor’s family loved Sothea very much and usually asked Sothea to sing during green fruit picnic at Chanbor’s house. Not only singing, Sothea also did well at marathon, study at school, and housework. She was smart, friendly, and hard-working, but reserved. Her voice was simple and soft during speaking, but was loudly sweet and long during singing. According to Kung Bunchhoeurn, Sothea expressed her excited and sad feeling during her singing on “Bopha Bakprea” in 1974 because she had memories at young age over there. Sothea attended the Takaksen Sala Primary School (Wat Kampheng Primary School) in mid 1950s. Later, she continued studying at Neth Yorng Women High School in 1962. However, Sothea got more famous quickly than two seniors of her school, HUY Meas and PEN Rorn, since she was so friendly and successful as she was a provincial representative to attend the national marathon competition. She won the national marathon contest many times during the competition in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Kompong Cham, etc. During extra hours with Prof. BUN Thorng, ROS Sereysothea was well-known for sadness singer; HUY Meas was admired for smotr, storytelling, and descriptive singing; PEN Rorn was good at funny singing. IM Song Seum and three younger sisters of PEN Rorn (PEN Rorm, PEN Ram, and PEN Chantha) were also studying in these extra hours. In 1963, Sothea applied for Khmer New Year provincial singing contest and got 1st rank with the best voice for femal singers. She sang three songs: Chet Mday (Original KEO Montha), Sambot Krom Kneuy and Ktom Chorea (Original MAO Sareth).
Unfortunately, her unlucky had come. She was invited without her father to sing for Tycoon KY Sean Ho’s family during the welcome party for their son just graduated in the major of engineering from France. It should be noticed that Tycoon KY Sean Ho was so rich since he had the largest cutting wood factory in Battambang. Sothea’s mother refused to allow her to go, but her father insisted since Sothea was expected to get famous among rich people and Tycoon promised to provide much money that Sothea’s poor family could not deny. Therefore, ROS Sokunthea was asked to come along Sothea to the party. At night time, Sokunthea just came home alone with the promised money while Sothea was kept to stay at the party with reason that it was too night for a young woman to walk along. Sothea’s parents could not sleep because there was a bad feeling something would happen to Sothea. During that night after all guests going home, the drunken son of Tycoon KY Sean Ho raped Sothea as her family worried. In the morning, Sothea walked along the road with tears meeting her father in the mid way home and told her father everything. Her father got very angry and went to Tycoon KY Sean Ho’s mansion. Tycoon KY Sean Ho was so angry to hear that and slapped his son’s face; his son agreed for mistakes and asked for legal marriage with Sothea, but his father refused since he already promised to marry him with a young rich woman of his friends, especially Sothea’s family was so poor too far from their family status. Sothea’s father insisted for marriage, but was ignored by Tycoon KY Sean Ho. Therefore, Sothea’s father sold almost his properties to file a complaint against Tycoon KY Sean Ho’s son, but failed because power of money from rich family over court was stronger than their appeals for justice. Losing much money in court, Sothea’s father got a conflict with her mother and went away staying with other woman, Roeuth, in Sereysorphorn, Battambang. Being ashamed for everything, Sothea decided to drop out from her beloved school during her second year at Net Yorng Women High School. She just continued singing to earn money for family support without her father.
Being alone now, she usually went to consult with her teacher and his wife for good advice towards the future life. Feeling so pity for her, Prof. BUN Thorng, who also taught his students about school lessons at both Net Yorng Women High School and Eap Khut Men High School, singing, music, and other special arts during his extra hours, brought her to SOK Dynary and DY Kanal as the organizer of Lom Hae You Thea Phirum Group and Steung Khiev music group in Battambang. To dismiss the bad luck for Sothea, her teacher also added “Serey (សិរី)” in the middle of her name to sing for public in special music, but later was written “Serey (សេរី)”. Her sister, ROS Sorphorn, also added “serey” in the middle of her name to dismiss her bad luck. Since then in 1965, Sothea had the opportunity to sing for Lom Hae You Thea Phirum Group and Steung Khiev Bar near Phsar Nat of Battambang Town. Her earning from singing could support her family to live in a better condition. Being so famous in the province, Sothea usually had the opportunity to sing with Phnom Penh artists during their travel to Battambang. Many people asked Sothea to come to Phnom Penh including SARAM Pak; in early 1967 Sothea and Lom Hae You Thea Phirum Group came to Phnom Penh. Sothea also got a chance to sing for Ministry of Broadcasting (Krosuong Khosana Kar). Her mother also came with Sothea to look after her; they lived near HUY Meas’s house and Pov Om School in Tuol Kok area. Sothea started to earn more money by singing in different places (restaurant, bar, and so on) with IM Song Seum, a senior student of Prof. BUN Thorng at Eap Khut Men High School in Battambang. IM Song Seum usually supported Sothea and initiated to help her and sometimes gave Sothea a drive to work in Krosuong Khosana Kar. In fact, Sothea usually rented a cyclo for travelling. Over there, she also got support from other singers from the same province like HUY Meas, PEN Rorn, etc. Also, she started to know other Cambodian famous singers such as TOCH Teng, SOS Math, MEAS Hokseng, MAO Sareth, CHHUN Vanna, CHHUON Malai, KEO Montha, etc. At last, she met SIN Sisamut who later introduced her to many lyricists and musician like HAS Salorn, POV Sipho, VOY Ho, MA Laopi, OUM Sophannureak, SVAY Som Oeur, KONG Bunchheourn, HENG Huor Veng, and MAEL Bun.
For just the early life in Phnom Penh, she and a rich man fell in love. However, his family threatened her to stay away otherwise the assassination would come, so in 1968 she decided to marry SOS Math who wooed her for months even though her family convinced her not to do so because SOS Math already had several wives and he was violent. Living with SOS Math, ROS Sereysothea’s life became harder to struggle than the poor livelihood in Battambang. She was distracted from other SOS Mat’s wives who were so jealous with her appearance and voice. More than that one evening while she was singing in the night club, the drunken man stood up and replied to the song she sang making SOS Mat angry and slapped her face causing her mouth bleeding as well as her first fetus died. This case brought the big issue for ROS Sereysothea’s 6-month marriage. The information spread to ROS Sereysothea’s family in Battambang and her mother who returned hometown came to blame SOS Mat for that domestic violence. Then ROS Sereysothea decided to choose the separate life from SOS Mat and got divorce with him. ROS Sereysothea returned with tears along with her mother to the beloved hometown, Battambang. She was disappeared for a period of time in Phnom Penh and was thought never to be heard again.
The situation changed with the action from SIN Sisamut who supported ROS Sereysothea and put his belief on ROS Sereysothea to be a good partner for him to continue the singing art. Then SIN Sisamut went to Battambang to talk with ROS Sereysothea and encouraged her to come back to Phnom Penh. This worked well; ROS Sereysothea gave up her sadness and stood bravely to continue her beloved career. Her mother also came with her again to take care of her; they moved to live near Kampuchea Krom Blvd. One day, while SIN Sisamut took ROS Sereysothea to sing the song “Kort Bros Muk Kmol” instead of PEN Rorn busy in travelling for tourism, SOS Math came with his troops as the power of the nurse for Royal Palace to bother ROS Sereysothea and she cried again with the memory of sadness. Sin Sisamut, who had the same position as SOS Math, stood to protect ROS Sereysothea by talking to SOS Math that he was the one to take her back there, and he must be responsible for her safety. SOS Mat returned and never disturbed her again. At the same time, she joined in the group of National Radio and the fame of ROS Sereysothea became more glorious from year to year. She was granted the title of “Preah Reach Theany Samleng Meas” by King NORODOM Shihanouk in 1969. Next, HUY Siphan, the son of Van Chan Production fell in love with her. He asked Sothea for marriage and got her approval. They got married and she gave birth to a son later. They lived happily for only a short period of time. ROS Sereysothea usually visited her family and her professor in Battambang. According to KEO Chanbo, she was still the same as before being famous. She was so friendly, polite, helpful, and grateful.
In 1971, she became the first woman parachutist in Cambodia broadcasted on national television channel and General SREY Ya started to woo her, but she denied she already married. Then one night at a bar near Pochentong Airport (Phnom Penh International Airport now), a group of soldiers ordered by General SREY Ya kidnapped her from HUY Siphan and threatened him to leave ROS Sereysothea. Without any help, HUY Siphan only gave up and arranged to travel to France with the plan to take his son with him, but ROS Sereysothea’s mother refused because he was too young to leave his mother. Then he travelled alone to France without coming back to Cambodia. In fact, General SREY Ya did this also because his first wife could not have children. For the following year, ROS Sereysothea lived with General SREY Ya as a step wife and gave birth to other three sons. She brought ROS Sokunthea and ROS Sereysorphorn to the General and let them became military parachutists. For her singing career, she still kept singing and sang many songs mostly with SIN Sisamut and other singers, but in restricted condition from General. Memory of her singing in studio for the song “Proat Sner Nov Pichenda”, her tears came out of her eyes as the sadness through the meaning of the song in her hometown, Battambang. The peak of her fame was in 1973. She sang in a variety of situation like traditional wedding, emotional, jerk, rock and roll, New Year, and other foreign style (Japanese, Chinese, English, etc). Because of the current war situation, Sothea insisted General to move with her children to Battambang. At first, he denied, but later agreed to do so because of the war was more serious. Just a few weeks, he came to Battambang to take her back. In early April 1975, Sothea, Rorn, and other singers went to sing for the birthday celebration of the Pailin’s Governor. On April 12 or 13, General ordered the helicopter to take Sothea back and maybe Rorn and other singers also came back while the news about the near regime fall of Lon Nol military was informed. Later, General disappeared in the war field and Sothea stayed with her family members in Tuol Kok area including Sereysorphorn and her husband (OUK Sinareth) plus a child, Sokunthea and his wife plus a child, her mother, her four children, a child of ROS Saboeurth, and a child of ROS Saboeurn.
On April 17, 1975, she was separated from other artists as simple person to leave Phnom Penh for Kompong Speu with her family members totally fourteen people. For her early arrival, she kept the secret about herself and lived as simple people from Phnom Penh working in the rice field long hours and got only porridge. Since more and more people from Phnom Penh went to that area, the name of her fame was released. Then she was forced to sing and get married to Khmer Rouge man who later usually committed violence on her because of jealousy with other men. However, her fame of the life in Phnom Penh made her life harder because Khmer Rouge military did not like Phnom Penh people. She was forced to sing the songs for her chance to live in the difficult situation. This was the unbelievable change of her life as other Cambodian citizens from the modern world to the hell. Because her new husband was violent and rude in term of speaking to her, Sothea could not bear for that and replied badly to him. The Khmer Rouge officers called her for warning not to have conflict with her husband, but who would bear to live with that kind of rude person. Later, she committed again and was brought out from the community on April 17, 1977 to study and live in new place which means she was punished to be killed in the forest. Only one members of her family survived was her younger brother-in-law, OUK Sinareth. Through three years eight months twenty days, not only her life, but also thousands of her songs were seriously destroyed; some were lost and some remained in the bad condition. Only fewer amounts of her songs left in good manner in 1980s. Many of her co-singers were put to death, and the condition of their songs was similar to her. Everything was damaged; millions of Khmer people were killed include her and other famous singers. Her life story was also known to the world through the international movie about her, titled “Golden Voice”. Some Khmer researchers also strived to get more information of her as possible as they can to put her life as the memory and heritage to next generation. Gradually from 1979, her songs have been bringing and releasing back to Cambodia from Khmer Communities in former Cambodia’s provinces in Thailand and Vietnam, foreign countries. Until then, her voice has been being heard everywhere throughout Cambodia for many years with the everlasting fame towards the future. “Golden voice will go on forever!” “Heart of a daughter is deeply cold to support her family and relatives!” “Life of an artist should not be forced by a powerful and rich people to just satisfy their greedy needs!”
(Source: Wikipedia Khmer Version ROS Sereysothea and Other Sources)
By: POK Panhavuth
