2 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
How a San Francisco record label is amplifying Cambodian voices
Before performing a ballad dedicated to his late mother, Cambodian rapper and singer Norith warned the sold-out crowd gathered at Asian Art Museum's Samsung Hall that his emotions might get the best of him.
'It's my first time performing this live,' he said.
The audience on this recent weekend held its breath. Over a spare backbeat with sampled and live instrumentation, Norith elegantly peeled back layers of vulnerability in his native Khmer language, sharing the loneliness he and his father feel, and the love and belief his mom bestowed upon him. His song shares the same title and sentiment as 2Pac's 'Dear Mama,' though sung in a different language from across the ocean.
Norith made it through without breaking. The heavily Cambodian American audience gathered in Samsung Hall on Saturday, July 19, for this one-of-a-kind performance, however, was visibly moved. Many dabbed the corners of their eyes while witnessing his mournful tribute.
The emotional song was just one of the featured 'unplugged' performances by five Cambodian artists dominating the present and shaping the future of Khmer music. Along with Norith, there was pop singer and 'The Voice Cambodia' semifinalist Suzana; rapper Yuuhai; multi-instrumentalist and singer Vanthan; and rapper VannDa, who is the country's most visible symbol of contemporary Khmer music.
The show was like an intimate 'Tiny Desk' concert set in Phnom Penh, except it was San Francisco, the city at the fulcrum of technology, eclectic music and thought. For more than an hour, the five artists traded rhymes and vocals in Khmer and English, with Vanthan providing beats and loops using modern and traditional instrumentation.
Today, artists in Cambodia bear a heavy burden. From 1975-1979, the country was ruled by the Khmer Rouge, who carried out a genocide of the Cambodian people, while also destroying its art and 90% of its musical instruments. After the Khmer Rouge was overthrown in 1979, the country had to rebuild its cultural legacy from the ground up.
Suzana was in awe that she was representing Cambodian culture in a San Francisco museum dedicated to Asian arts. It was her first time in America.
'I never thought I would be here,' Suzana told the crowd. 'This is like a dream.'
The Bay Area — where roughly 6,000 of the 270,000 Cambodians in the U.S. live, according to the Pew Research Center — played a role in elevating these burgeoning Khmer voices. Empire, a San Francisco-based record label and music distributor, partnered with Cambodian entertainment company Baramey Production — whose founder Laura Mam is a San Jose native — for the event. The next day, they hosted an Oakland pop-up with all five artists where they sold merch and snapped selfies with fans.
In late March 2025, Empire and Baramey signed a deal to help Cambodian artists like VannDa and Suzana find wider exposure and hopefully produce a hit single.
'America is still the place to make your voice heard on a global scale,' Mam told the Chronicle. 'And especially for this event, to come to the Bay — which celebrates diversity — I believe good things can happen. Southeast Asian music will be represented on a larger scale and I think we're part of the wave.'
The Baramey artists were in the city to participate in a special songwriters camp that Empire facilitated at its South of Market studios. They joined other Asian artists — Litty and Zen Masuta from Japan, Basboi from Indonesia — for a week working alongside American songwriters and producers, including Grammy-winner!llmind, who made records with Drake, Beyoncé and J Cole. One afternoon, Empire CEO Ghazi chartered a bus where the artists spent the day visiting local landmarks.
Ghazi designed the Empire Asia camp as a cross-cultural exchange, helping artists improve and expand their art in terms of scope and diasporic markets. It's part workshop, part strategy to embolden the talent pool and build bridges. Two years ago, an Empire Africa camp produced the 2023 hit single 'Lonely at the Top' for Asake, and more recently completed an electronic dance music camp.
Ghazi is now planning future camps for Middle Eastern and Arabic-speaking North African artists.
'It's just really nice to bring everybody together in a creative space and allow them the freedom to do what they love to do most, which is make music,' Ghazi said.
With Empire's influence and proven hit-making prowess exemplified by Shaboozey's 2024 hit 'A Bar Song (Tipsy),' Baramey artists like VannDa have a bright future. For those gathered at Samsung Hall, it was a rare chance to experience Cambodia's artists on the verge of a global breakthrough. Given the historical implications, it was an emotional moment for both artist and audience.
'Setrey Serey (Unbroken),' tears of pride and recognition flowed freely.
'I think the Cambodian community here felt seen,' said Mum. 'Our artists represent a beacon that we hope can be seen in the world and not be invisible anymore. They bring the sound of our despair, our joy, our love. These are the sounds of Cambodia.'
