Sinn Sisamouth (c. 1933 – c. 1976) was a Cambodian singer-songwriter active from the 1950s to the 1970s. Widely considered the "King of Khmer Music", Sisamouth, along with Ros Serey Sothea, Pen Ran, Mao Sareth, and other Cambodian artists, was part of a thriving music scene in Phnom Penh that blended elements of Khmer traditional music with the sounds of rhythm and blues and rock and roll developing unique sounds. Sisamouth died during the Khmer Rouge regime under circumstances that are unclear.
Early life
Sinn Sisamouth was born in Stung Treng Province, he was born to Seb Bunlei (mother) and Sinn Leang (father). He was the youngest of four siblings (one older brother, two older sisters). However, general consensus accepts Sisamouth was Khmer with partial Lao descent. 1932, or 1933. However, 1933 is likely the correct year according to a short biography on original liner notes of his album លាហើយហុងកុង. Furthermore, people that had been alive during Sisamouth's era state that he was born during the year of the Rooster which would translate to 1933 in the Gregorian calendar. Sisamouth's father was a soldier during the French Protectorate period and also served as prison warden in Battambang Province. His father died when he was a child and his mother then remarried. He first gained popularity around this time by writing and performing songs in traditional Khmer styles. Around mid-1950s, the romantic ballad Violon Sneha, one of Sisamouth’s earliest songs, composed by musician Has Salan, put Sisamouth into fame across Cambodia. while his stage presence has been compared to that of Frank Sinatra. By the late 1950s, Sisamouth had established himself as the leading figure in an expanding Cambodian popular music scene. King Norodom Sihanouk, a musician himself, encouraged the development of popular music in Cambodia. Initially, pop records from France and Latin America were imported into the country and became popular, inspiring a flourishing music scene based in Phnom Penh. As for his first song, it was either never pressed on a record or was lost during the Cambodian genocide. In 1962, Sisamouth began recording singles under the record label Wat-Phnom Disques. was released in 1963 and features soulful melancholic balladry, bossa nova, and other styles. was the first piece of content aired during the inauguration of the Royal Khmer Television in 1966. This resulted in a unique sound in which Western pop and rock were combined with Khmer vocal techniques and instruments. Sisamouth also made use of bossa nova and doo-wop influences. Sisamouth had become established as Cambodia's most popular singer and songwriter. Nevertheless, his popularity did not eclipse that of other singers such as Im Song Soeum and Huoy Meas. He collaborated directly with Mao Sareth and Chhuon Malay, among others. He also wrote songs for, and duetted with, other popular Cambodian singers to nurture their careers. For example, starting in the mid-1960s he recorded many popular duets with Pen Ran.
Sisamouth’s most notable duet partner was Ros Serey Sothea, and he is credited with launching her career. Sothea had been singing at weddings and other functions, later becoming the leading female singer in the Cambodian rock scene. Sisamouth and Sothea recorded many popular duets from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s. In later years, Sisamouth contributed songs to the soundtracks for a number of popular Cambodian films, such as Orn Euy Srey Orn, Tep Sodachan, and Thavory Meas Bong.
Sisamouth's highly prolific songwriting became well known during this period; he is confirmed to have sung and written more than one thousand songs for himself and others (see Sinn Sisamouth discography). The true total may be considerably higher. His son, Sinn Chanchhaya, believed that Sisamouth sung/wrote roughly one song every day during his career as a professional musician, a period of nearly 20 years. plus covers of "Hey Jude" by The Beatles (titled "Always Will Hope"), "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum (titled "Apart from Love"), and "Love Potion No. 9" by The Searchers (titled "Other Than You"). By the 1970s, Sisamouth’s fame reduced the time he had available for writing, so he began to work regularly with lyricist and composer Voy Ho. Most of his discography between 1970-1975 was written by Voy Ho.
Personal life
Friendships
Sisamouth was notably friends with singers Mao Sareth, Sieng Dy, Sos Math and his closest friends were secretaries Mer Bun, Sive Sun. Sisamouth was very close with Ros Serey Sothea who he viewed as a little sister. One of Sisamouth’s other hobbies were rooster-fighting where he would bet with his friends on. Sisamouth had contracts with three restaurants in Phnom Penh to regularly perform music for customers. After performances, he would meet with friends and eat rice porridge. For a year Sinn Sisamouth worked for the Ministry of National Defense’s Fifth Bureau, and then joined its orchestra where he became a second lieutenant.
Also in Don't Think I've Forgotten, Sisamouth's son states that many different people have given him contradictory stories of his father's death.
In 2006, Khmer Apsara magazine granted a long interview to a man named Keo Chamnab who claims to have seen Sisamouth's execution at a jail in Prek Ta Duong village in 1976.