Sinn Sisamouth

Sinn Sisamouth was an influential and highly prolific Cambodian singer-songwriter, active from the 1950s-70s. He was widely considered the “King of Khmer music” and was one of the leading figures of Cambodia’s thriving rock and pop scene in the 60s and 70s. Sisamouth became known for his crooning voice, which was likened to that of Nat King Cole, and his stage presence has been compared to that of Frank Sinatra.

Like most of Cambodia’s pre-1975 singers, Sinn Sisamouth disappeared during the Khmer Rouge genocide, and it is likely he did not survive. There are many conflicting accounts over Sisamouth’s fate, but a popular theory claims Sisamouth was about to be executed by a Khmer Rouge firing squad when he requested the opportunity to sing one last song in an attempt to appeal to the soldiers' emotions. He finished the song but was executed anyway. Another theory is that Sisamouth was executed in 1976, at a jail at Prek Ta Duong village.