The Power for Change 

Popular culture is a key indicator of not only an audience’s tastes, but also the social causes that are important to them. Cambodian music has been known to reflect the nation’s ways of life, like when internationally inspired pop and rock music gained popularity in conjunction with the push for modernization. The most popular Khmer music represented a freedom to engage with French, Afro-Cuban, and American styles while preserving and honoring Cambodian identity. Even during the Vietnam War, Cambodians learned American songs from the American Forces Vietnam Network, a radio station that broadcasted music for nearby US soldiers. Historically, authoritarian governments have targeted artists because their work’s influence threatens tyranny. The Khmer Rouge used “traditional” music and art in their propaganda, but the regime’s creations did not unite Cambodians or generate national pride in the way popular music had. One of the most powerful stories of music’s significance to freedom comes from Sieng Vanthy. When Vietnamese troops defeated the Khmer Rouge, they recognized the singer and asked her to return to Phnom Penh, where she would perform on the radio to signal to surviving Cambodians that it was safe to return to the city.