Ros Sereysothea is remembered as one of the greatest female voices in Cambodian music. Often called the "Queen with the Golden Voice", she rose from a farming family in Battambang to become the leading woman of Phnom Penh's rock and pop scene in the 1960s and early 1970s. This is a short introduction to her life and music.
A girl from Battambang
She was born around 1948 in Battambang Province, the second youngest of seven children in a farming family. As a child she sang along to radio singers and to the singers who performed at weddings, and she sang with her brothers and sisters in a small folk band. In 1963 she won a regional singing contest, and she then joined a traditional ayai troupe that performed around Battambang.
Radio and Phnom Penh
In 1964 she was invited to sing for National Radio in Phnom Penh. She lived with her mother in a boarding house in the capital and studied musical notation with Sinn Sisamouth, the leading singer of the time. She made her debut the same year and quickly became known for her high, clear voice. Her early recordings were mostly traditional ballads and romvong-style songs, and she moved towards a more modern sound over the years. She worked as a freelance artist and recorded for several labels rather than just one.
Duets and a rock sound
She recorded many duets with Sinn Sisamouth and also sang with Pen Ran, Huoy Meas and others. Her later records used electric guitars, drums and organs, and the sound is often described as psychedelic or garage rock. Like other singers of the era, she gave Western hits new Khmer lyrics, including songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Carpenters. Sources report that she recorded more than 500 songs, but the romantic ballads remained her most enduring and popular work.
Honours, films and the army
King Norodom Sihanouk honoured her with a royal title, and she became a familiar face in Cambodian films and live shows. After the 1970 coup she joined the orchestra of an army airborne division, performing for troops, and she trained as a paratrooper and received a parachute badge in 1973, though she was not involved in combat.
Disappearance
Her last known public performance was in Pailin, shortly before the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh in April 1975. She disappeared during those years, and her fate has never been confirmed. Accounts range from execution to death from forced labour to death in hospital, and sources give different dates around 1977 and 1978. Like countless other Cambodians, she was lost in this period.
A voice that was rediscovered
Most of the original master recordings were lost, but records and tapes survived and were later reissued. Listeners abroad discovered her music through the Cambodian Rocks compilation and a film soundtrack, and bands such as Dengue Fever have covered her songs. Her life has been told in the short film The Golden Voice, the documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten and a graphic novel of the same name. The Cambodian Vintage Music Archive holds one of the largest collections of her recordings.
Where to start listening
Search Khmer Beat for Ros Sereysothea, or open the Oldies and Romance collections. Start with a slow ballad, then listen to one of her rock songs and notice how the same voice moves between styles.
Based on published profiles including Wikipedia and The Cambodia Daily. Details such as the date and circumstances of her death are disputed.