Please learn more about praCh Ly before you label him (The "C"apital C in praCh stands for Cambodia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJil01WyWYQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVMEHPa4VV8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91zqZywv3dc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9dRF8EoM70

Home in her song

Singer-songwriter Bochan Huy 'East meets West' fusion style draws inspiration from Cambodian rock's Golden Era. Photo by Dylan Maddux

Friday, 16 March 2012
Diana Montano
The Phnom Penh Post

The mp3 version is available online for US $10 at www.bochan.bandcamp.com.

One of the most striking tracks off Bochan Huy’s debut album, Full Monday Moon, sheds light on what the up and coming singer-songwriter brings to the table: hip-hop beats and soulful, socially conscious English vocals layered over the Khmer chorus and guitar riffs of one of Cambodia’s most beloved rock‘n’roll classics.

The song, a re-interpretation of iconic songstress Ros Sereysothea’s Cham Oun 16 (I am 16), is a thoughtful blend of old and young, memory and creativity, the United States and Cambodia; musical fruit born of Phnom Penh native Bochan’s experience as a refugee raised in the US.

“When I first heard this song, I saw a woman coming of age who wants to pick her own destiny,” says Bochan, whose family fled Phnom Penh for a Thai refugee camp in 1980 and, after many moves, eventually settled in Oakland, California.

A Khmer-American singer just released her first album "Full Monday Moon."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35Kkx34AqpA

Phanith Rama Sovann: A rising music star shines faithfully

Sovann rehearsing new music in the studio.

Sovann's instrument of choice: the guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpFnRJSWj7s

Originally published at http://khmr.cn/phanith-rama-sovann

By Sophin Zoe Pruong-McCreery

Long Beach, CA - The Khmer Student Coalition Conference in November 2011 aimed the spotlight on a rising 23-year-old Southern California talent, Phanith Rama Sovann. Chants of “encore, encore” engulfed the University of California, Los Angeles auditorium. The audience waited earnestly as this singer-songwriter captured their attention with just one stroke on her keyboard. As she opened her lips to sing, the crowd became completely silent. In a standstill auditorium of over 250 college students, Sovann mesmerized listeners with not one, but two encore performances.

Born in a refugee camp in Kao-I-Dang, Thailand in 1989, Sovann came from humble beginnings. Her father, Sovann Sann and her mother, Rama Kim, who were orphaned as a result of the Khmer Rouge regime, fought hard to survive the civil war. Near the end of the genocide, they escaped to a refugee camp at the border of Cambodia and Thailand. The young family had to run away and hide from Thai soldiers who raided the camps, forcing refugees who did not have permits back to the killing fields of Cambodia.

“I almost died many times,” Sovann told the Khmerican. “When my mom was pregnant with me, she could no longer run and hide as swiftly, so my dad built a double wall for my mom to hide between. The Thai soldiers knew that many refugees built these double walls to escape detection, so they took their bayonets and forcefully pierced their sharp blades through the walls. One soldier almost hit my mom’s stomach. Let’s just say I’m blessed to be alive,” Sovann said.

Singer Puts American Twist on Cambodian Classics

http://www.voanews.com/templates/widgetDisplay.html?id=139149709&player=article

February 11, 2012
Brian Calvert | Oakland, California

Voice of America

More and more Cambodian-Americans are finding their own voice in art and music. Add to that list musician Bochan Huy, who grew up in Oakland, California, and has just released her first album, Full Monday Moon.

Singer songwriter Bochun Huy is putting an American twist on a Cambodian classic. The original song, “I Am 16,” comes from the heyday of Cambodian rock-the 1960s and 1970s, before the Khmer Rouge.

Huy’s version, though, is something entirely new.

“I kind of describe ‘Chnam Oun Dop Pram Mouy’ as sort of like a new culture. It’s a melting pot of everything that I’ve absorbed: from living in Oakland, from being Cambodian, and from being American. It’s Cambodian-American,” said Huy.

Out Of The Darkness: The Cambodian Space Project

September 8th, 2011
Kevin E.G. Perry
The Quietus

Ahead of their performance at this weekend's Dancing Time, Kevin E.G. Perry speaks to The Cambodian Space Project on their difficult beginnings in the days of the Khmer Rouge

In 2009, Tasmanian musician Julien Poulson walked into a karaoke bar in Phnom Penh and heard a lone female voice singing Peggy Lee's 'Johnny Guitar'. This struck him as odd. Ordinarily the bars in Cambodia's capital only allow singers to perform in groups of around a dozen, and youth and vacant stares seem to be favoured over musical talent. "They kinda look like the zombies in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'," he says. As he listened to her he realised why she sang alone. A voice as naturally gifted as this is a rare find.

Poulson invited the singer, Srey Thy, to start a band with him and together they formed the nucleus of what has become The Cambodian Space Project, a remarkable group who not only cover and preserve songs from the 'golden age' of 60s Cambodian pop but also write their own dazzlingly original Khmer psychedelic rock. They've now toured all over the world, from Texas to the End of the Road, but the shows they talk of with most pride are the ones they play in remote villages across Cambodia.

My name Hy Kim Chanthavouth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOubJmgebjk

Singer gives voice to the new face of Cambodia

Tenor Hy Chanthavouth is performing at a concert Monday to raise money for the Cambodian Support Group.Photograph by: Lyle Stafford, Times Colonist, timescolonist.com

Young tenor hopes to change perceptions of his homeland

August 7, 2011
By Amy Smart
Times Colonist (British Columbia, Canada)

Cambodian tenor Hy Chanthavouth has the kind of voice that can change minds.

It may have played a role in changing the minds of high school administrators, who told him that he was too old to enrol when he arrived in Canada at 22.

Before he left the Kimberley school's office, a counsellor asked if he knew the song My Way by Frank Sinatra - it was his father's favourite. By the time Chanthavouth had reached the song's spirited climax, he had drawn a crowd.

"All the teachers just stopped working and came down to follow the voice," he said. "They didn't believe it was me."

Exclusive New Track from Khmerican artist, Jeff 'JL Jupiter' Lek

Monday, August 01, 2011
Originally posted at: http://blog.khmerican.com/post/8349567669/jl-jupiter-off-ya-love

Co-founder, Phatry Derek Pan was out in Philadelphia this past weekend to support one of Khmerican’s biggest ally, Jeff ‘JL Jupiter’ Lek. The charismatic 31-year-old music artist has been laying down tracks for over a decade to songs such as Natural, I’m Still Here and Build With U. Just before a show, Pan had the opportunity to share a conversation in his Camden home about a new unreleased track produced by AZI Fellas.

“The single Off Ya Love reflects about family,” said JL, who despite growing up without a father, always had a strong support system from siblings and relatives. “The names mentioned in the song are real people - people who always gave me everything I wanted even though we were struggling.”

This maturity and experience has brought the versatile artist greater prominence in the emerging Philadelphia hip hop scene. In the last 3 months, JL has performed at numerous local venues such as Cambodian-owned Tipsy Bar, Arts Garage, and this past Saturday at Phila MOCA. In May 2011, he performed in Springfield, Virginia alongside comrade in arms, the Nu Treez. His largest stage yet will be a schedule performance at the 14th Annual Lowell Southeast Asian Water Festival on August 20th to a 50,000 plus audience.

As JL Jupiter’s music career continues to grow, so will our effort to promote talented artist in the community. Meantime, we encourage you to visit JL’s website, Like his fan page, and all that other good karma stuff.

And lastly, we haven’t forgotten you the fans. For the first 25 people who e-mails us, we will send out the full 3-minute track for FREE.

Keo Moline: “My special feature is that I can imitate other people’s voice, both male and female”

Keo Moline (Photo: Kuoch Kuntheara, RFI)

24 August 2010
Interview by Kuoch Kuntheara
Radio France Internationale

During the “successful life” program on this Tuesday 04 May (?), Kuoch Kuntheara is introducing the listeners to the real life a new singer by the name of Keo Moline. Her special feature is that she can imitate other singers, both male or female.

Click here to listen to Keo Moline singing with both male and female voices (MP3)

CTN Khmer- ReaTrey Tngai AA-Dteut: 7 June 2009-613
Uploaded by KampongSpeu. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

Srey Thy: Living a better life as a Cambodian rock singer

House of the Rising Sun by the Cambodian Space Project

Srey Thy
The Cambodian Space Project from left to right: Davis Zunk Julien Poulson, Irene Choun, Dan Schwarzlose, Srey Thy, Scott Bywater, and Ken White.

We talk with Srey Thy about her escape from a life of poverty and abuse to become the lead singer of one of Cambodia’s hottest bands, the Cambodian Space Project

22 July, 2010
By Charlie Lancaster
CNN Go

Srey Thy is an artist struggling to make ends meet, but her confidence and beaming smile suggest that after years of difficulty she is finally on the right track. Hailing from Prey Veng, one of Cambodia’s poorest provinces, life has thrown Thy some curve balls.

At 19, she was kidnapped and brutally forced into the sex trade. She says her escape is one of the defining moments in her life. Another moment was a chance meeting with Australian musician Julien Poulsen. Together they formed The Cambodian Space Project, and their 1960s Cambodian-rock Western fusion has been rocking the capital ever since.

Having played 20 gigs in the kingdom, Thy, at 31, recently received her first passport -- to Hong Kong -- where The Cambodian Space Project played its first international gig.

CNNGo: When did music first become a part of your life?

Srey Thy: I used to listen to my mother sing as a child at home and at school, where she used to perform for the students during recess. My parents couldn’t afford singing lessons, but I practiced by trying to sound like her, and after a while, I was singing in local restaurants in my home province Prey Veng.

CNNGo: How did a girl from one of Cambodia’s poorest regions become a lead singer of one of the hottest bands in the country?

Thy: Just over five years ago, I moved to Phnom Penh to escape a life of poverty and a violent husband to pursue a career in singing. I began working in karaoke bars, but it was a difficult time. I earned less than US$100 a month and sent what I could back to my ageing parents and young son. I worked for different people, many of whom swindled me of my money. Then one day last year, I met Australian musician Julien Poulson while I was singing in a bar. We got talking and our mutual interests and talents led to the creation of the cross-over 1960s Cambodian-rock Western fusion style music that is the Cambodian Space Project.

CNNGo: Many people compare your voice to the 1960s legend Ros Sereysothea -- do you think this is a fair comparison?

Thy: I hope so. I love all the pre-war music and Ros Seretysothea is probably Cambodia’s greatest female singer. Cambodia was ahead of its regional neighbors before the Khmer Rouge killed many of the singers and destroyed much of their music, and I am pleased to honor their legacy while at the same time pushing musical boundaries within the country today.

CNNGo: While you sing covers from the 1960s, you mainly write your own music. Please talk a little more about your music and the symbolism of your lyrics.

Thy: My voice suits rock music -- I’m not so good at love ballads for example -- which is why I sing rock. To some degree or another, all my songs are related to family problems, love, dishonesty and desperation. Sometimes, I use traditional folklore to address some of these issues while the message in other songs isn’t as subtle! CNNGo: You mentioned desperation, what have been the most desperate moments of your life?

Thy: Being in an abusive relationship and being kidnapped. When I moved to Phnom Penh, I was duped into working in a brothel posing as a massage parlor. I still have a scar on my wrist from being handcuffed in a room. But I was lucky, as one of the other girls helped me escape and gave me US$2.50 to run away with. I don’t know what has happened to her since.

CNNGo: How has the band changed your life?

Thy: I am more famous now, happier and my English has improved. The public support has given me hope for a better life. But I am still struggling to make a decent living; my income depends on the number of gigs we play.

CNNGo: What are the challenges of playing in Cambodia?

Thy: There is a real thirst for live music in Cambodia, but the live [English-language] music scene remains largely neglected. It is a small city, so it is important to balance a need to make a living while avoiding over-exposure.

CNNGo: How many gigs have you played to date and which were the most memorable?

Thy: Since we started in December, we have played over 20 gigs in all sorts of locations from private parties to concerts. I’d say as far as unusual goes, singing at an elephant’s 40th birthday party probably tops the charts. Playing in my hometown was an amazing experience -- the whole village came. I think they liked the music, but the pink suit drummer Scott Bywater was wearing distracted many people! And of course playing at the Hong Kong music festival 2010 was special.

CNNGo: Yes, you recently got your first passport, boarded your first flight and played your first international gig in Hong Kong -- how did it feel?

Thy: I was nervous checking in for both flights. I was scared. It was my first time flying and I cried all the way to Hong Kong.

CNNGo: How did performing in Hong Kong compare to performing in Cambodia?

Thy: It was very different. I found it hard to express my feeling or emotions, perhaps because everything was so new to me. Unlike in Cambodia, the audience didn’t know who I was and weren’t familiar with Khmer music. I didn’t enjoy the first or second day, but by the third day the audience applauded me and enjoyed the music, so I was much happier. I didn’t see any Khmer people there.

CNNGo: What are your ambitions?

Thy: To pay back all my debt to my mother; to own a house; and to have a happy family.

CNNGo: What can we look forward to in the coming months?

Thy: More gigs, I hope, and possibly a tour to France in August -- if I can get a visa.

For more information on the Cambodian Space Project and their upcoming gigs check out: myspace.com/thecambodianspaceproject

Tenor presents songs from Khmer [-Congratulations Chanthavouth!]

East Kootenay-trained, Cambodian-born tenor Chanthavouth Hy joins the Youth Symphony Orchestra at its performances in Kelowna, Penticton and at Vernon’s Trinity United Church Sunday. (Photo submitted)

March 02, 2010
By Kristin Froneman
Vernon Morning Star

A Cambodian-born tenor is about to share his culture when he sings with the Youth Symphony of the Okanagan (YSO) on its annual tour of the valley.

The YSO’s celebrated conductor Imant Raminsh of Coldstream has invited Chanthavouth Hy (pronounced Chan-ta-voot Hee) to perform Khmer (Cambodian) music as part of the orchestra’s program.

The tour stops in Vernon’s Trinity United Church Sunday.

Hy, 25, began his musical education in Cambodia long before coming to Canada.

He has been living in the East Kootenays since Sept. 2007, thanks to sponsorship from the Cambodia Support Group (CSG), a B.C.-based volunteer agency, which is now in its 27th year of helping Cambodia with cultural aid, as well as assisting women, youth and the disabled in the Asian nation.

CSG president Arne Sahlen, who lives in Kimberley, has arranged Hy to perform three traditional Cambodian folk songs with the YSO, said Raminsh, whose association with Sahlen goes back to Prince George.

(Sahlen was a harmony student of Raminsh’s, and his father was in the New Caledonia Chamber Orchestra, now the Prince George Symphony, which Raminsh founded.)

“Over the years, we’ve stayed in touch. This is the second time one of his Cambodian protegees has performed with the YSO,” said Raminsh. “Last spring, I met Chanthavouth when he came to hear the youth symphony with Arne. I thought this would be a great opportunity for this young man to perform with the orchestra, as he has a story to tell, and to do something from his traditional background.”

For Hy, singing is something he was born to do.

“I first heard opera on the radio when I was a small child, and my heart screamed at me to sing it,” he said.

Hy will sing Enchanted Forest and November Breezes, which were composed in the 1960s by Cambodia’s now-retired King Norodom Sihanouk, as well as Aou Tuk Ho (translated as water flows) by Cambodian singer-composer Sin Sisamuth, who was killed by the Khmer Rouge during its brutal regime in the 1970s.

The latter song was recently revived by King Sihanouk’s younger brother, Prince Norodom Sirivudh, who performed with Hy during a visit to Cambodia in May, said Sahlen, who was at the concert.

“One of my most thrilling recent memories is of the prince and Chanthavouth electrifying the airspace with this very piece,” he said. “With Prince Sirivudh’s happy approval, I re-arranged Aou Tuk Ho for the YSO, blending the original and prince’s versions with operatic elements to match Chanthavouth’s passion and voice quality.

“Westerners seem entranced by Khmer pieces. Aou Tuk Ho may serve as a two-way bridge. It may impress Westerners with Cambodian quality in a form they recognize, and transport the power of opera to Cambodians on songs of their own great musicians.”

It was Jocelyn Pritchard, a Vancouver musician whose father was once a United church minister in Vernon, who first met Hy while giving workshops as a representative of CSG at Cambodia’s Royal University of Fine Arts. He was among the two dozen singing students she met –– a young man, she says, with “enormous vocal power and a great passion for helping others.”

The CSG ended up sponsoring Hy to come to Canada and study.

Now learning under tenor Chuck Bisset, Hy has excelled in both his vocal training, English and other subjects, and also devotes his time as a director with the CSG, as well as volunteering for African relief and those at risk in Canada.

Hy returned to his home country in May as a goodwill ambassador for the Cambodia-Canada friendship tour by the University of Victoria Prima-Chamber Singers Choir. He was welcomed home with open arms, and given this accolade from Cambodia’s daily newspaper: “When this slim-built tenor starts to sing, he turns into a giant; his voice filling the air with strength, warmth and beauty.”

Hy has applied to the Victoria Conservatory of Music-Camosun College diploma program, and plans on future studies in Toronto and New York.

Also joining the YSO on its Okanagan tour is 15-year-old Nick Denton of Kelowna, who studies cello with Morna Howie at the Vernon Community Music School, and will perform Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Coldstream pianist Andre Van den Berg, 15, who attends Kalamalka Secondary School, will also premier his first major composition, Passacaglia in A minor.

The orchestra will perform Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, Strauss’ Gypsy Baron Overture and Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite, and will feature a guest appearance by conductor Rosemary Thomson of the Okanagan Symphony.

Tickets for Sunday’s performance, which starts at 7 p.m. at Trinity United Church, 3300 Alexis Park Dr., are available at the door: $15/adult, $10 youth/senior, $5/child (12 and under).

10-Year-Old Folk Singer Bridges Cultures

Bosba Panh performing in a TV show (Photo: http://www.bosbapanh.com)

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 January 2008

Click here to listen to the program in Khmer

Bosba Panh, whose repertoire includes Bob Dylan as well as traditional Khmer music, recently packed a concert hall in Phnom Penh. Chaktomuk Hall’s capacity is 570 seats, but Bosba Panh brought in 700 people.

Her music is increasingly gaining attention, as she strums a guitar and sings in cafes and halls for Westerners and Cambodians alike.

Bosba Panh, 10, whose father is Khmer and mother is Lao, put out the album “Phnom Penh” in 2006 and established her own music company, La Compagnie Bosbapanh, when she was 8 years old.

“Bosba confirms her talent as a classical singer in exploring the cultural richness of her country and in making famous international songs her own,” said Muoy You, director of Seametrey Children’s Village, a school, who attended the performance at Chaktomuk Hall. “She sang of the beauty of Cambodia, love and peace, liberty and freedom.”