Im Song Seum​​ អឹុមសុងសឺម

His voice is sometime mistaken for that of Sin Sisamouth, although he did not receive as much popularity as the latter. Samouth was on record for the recognition he extended to the younger vocalist. According to a Facebook post by Seum's surviving son, Im Sonora, Samouth had intimated that Seum's voice stood above that of his male peers. While Samouth is often known to give encouragement to struggling fellow artists, the accolade was a genuine compliment that echoed Seum's own widespread popularity in the kingdom before his untimely death in 1972.

In a March/April 1996 interview with the Popular Magazine (ទស្សនាវដ្ដីប្រជាប្រិយ៏) Mr Sem Vandeth, Seum's nephew and  proprietor of Rasmey Pean Meas Productions offered a glimpse of the life of Im Song Seum. That article forms the basis of my tribute to a vibrant voice I have cherished in my youth.

Born in 1943 in Kampong Preah commune, Sangker district, the son of Mr Im Sean and Mrs Tan Soeun, Im Song Seum had 8 siblings, of whom 3 are known to have survived the Pol Pot years and are living in the US.

In his youth Seum studied at the Lycee Eap Khuth (other sources: Lycee Preah Monivong) and graduated with a Diplome (មធ្យមសិក្សាប័ត្របឋមភូមិ). Completing this diploma, equivalent to today's Year 10 secondary school, would have put him somewhere around the age of 18 or some time in approximately 1961. Children begin primary schooling at 7 years of age due to the lack of early childhood education in the Kingdom.

Seum was well known at high school for his melodic voice and he was a regular winner in school song contests. Mey Thirith, an employee of the Ministry of Information and a recording artist in his own right, discovered the teenage student and brought him to Phnom Penh for an audition. Mey Thirith authored several songs for Seum and had apparently become close to the singer.

Mey Thirith
Source: Mey Thirith - Dantrey Vityu Chheat - Panchasila Printing House (Undated - possibly 1964)

Partnering with Chhun Vanna and later Huoy Meas, a fellow Battambang native, Seum recorded a series of popular Roam Vong songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNXt8Sj24lk) that received regular air time on the National Radio. Vinyls and reel tapes were popular in rural Cambodia and were used in weddings and other social occasions. One of his early propaganda song was the 1963 lament on Koh Tral commemorating the loss of Phu Quoc island to South Vietnam.

A typical output by Seum in those years is​ this 1964 movie soundtrack recently (May 2015) offered on Youtube (សំបថលើខ្នងភ្នំ):

If a single song could define Im Song Seum, that song would have been his ឆ្នាំមុន (Chhnam Moun)​ which he recorded around 1966/67. The backing orchestra is តន្ត្រីវិទ្យុជាតិ (National Radio Orchestra).

Below is a modern cover of Chhnam Moun by Chad Kerby and Sun Sidavine

It is also interesting to note that Song Seum in thai means "lift up" (ส่งเสริม). One of his siblings who contributed to Seum's repertoire was curiously named អឹុម អំាង្គ្រិត which in thai means English. The province of Battambang had come under Thai sovereignty for extended periods of time throughout Khmer history.

The writer Ca Nel who was a personal friend of the late singer had this to say in a footnote to his 1972/73 autobiography ជ្រោះអូយ៉ាដារ



In the clip below (at 19:32) Im Song Seum is filmed singing ឳផ្ការំចេក with Neou Narin in Norodom Sihanouk's cringe-worthy 1969 Joie de Vivre.

Im Song Seum died young at 29 on 16 March 1972 reportedly of stomach cancer (30 according to his son in a Facebook post) in his native Battambang province. He never saw the devastation of the Pol Pot years that followed a few years later.  The death was reported in Nokor Thom daily and caused widespread consternation among fans of the late singer.

Nokor Thom 20 March 1972.
Source: http://ki-media.blogspot.co.nz/2010/12/glimpse-from-past-singer-im-song-seum.html

Unfortunately a large number of Seum's songs were recorded on tapes for broadcast on the national radio and these did not survived the Pol Pot years.​​ Their lyrics invariably came from the pen of the late Ma Lao Pi, the Ministry of Information's broadcasting front man. In lyrical refinement and popularity Ma Lao Pi rivaled Peou Sipho, the first modern Khmer song writer who began his own career in the closing years of the French protectorate. Mr Ma Lao Pi was often featured in news reels providing commentaries on Prince Norodom Sihanouk's provincial visits. Ma Lao Pi's best known lyrics are Lolok Nhi Chhmaul, Day Samoth Trapaing Roung and Ao Yon Ker Mer (លលកញីឈ្មោល ដៃសមុទ្ទត្រពាំងរូង អាវយន្តកេរីត្តម៉ែ). Ma Lao Pi died in Cambodia in 1997, having gained refuge in California after the Pol Pot years. I had the pleasure of speaking to this humble man at a function at the National Bank of Cambodian April 1995.

Below are the lyrics for some of Seum's songs spanning from 1964 to 1969. Some are only partially remembered and the dates are approximate. The first song (អូនជាម្ចាស់ស្នេហ៏)​ was regularly heard on the night radio in the months that followed Seum's death.

ប្រភព៖ មីុ ធីរិទ្ធ - តន្រី្តវិទ្យុជាតិ - រោងពុម្ពបញ្ចសិលា (undated, probably 1963-4)

កន្សែងនិស្ស័យ(?១៩៦៤)

កន្សែងនិស្ស័យ ស្រស់ស្រីព្រលឹង ជ្រុះនៅតាមដងស្ទឹងឳ្យខ្ញំុរំពឹងជាប់ចិត្ត ។ ឳកន្សែងប្រឡែងជីវិត ផ្តេកផ្តិត ប៉ងស្នេហ៏ស្និទរួមរិតមេត្រី ។

បើសិនកន្សែងចេៈថ្លែងវាចា ពោលប្រាប់ព្រៈគង្គារវាសនាអ្នកនេសាទត្រី ។ ឳ្យបានយល់បុណ្យផលភក្តី គ្រាស្រី បាន រួចពីដៃព្រានព្រៃសាមាណ្យ ។

កន្សែងនិស្ស័យក្នុងដៃអ្នកក្រ ជាកេរិត៏្តស្រីល្អ ខ្ញុំអង្វរលន់តួរផ្ញើប្រាណ។ បើសិនវាសនាខ្ញុំបានកូនអ្នកមានរួមប្រាណសុខសាន្តឳរ៉ា ។

និស្ស័យកន្សែងតាក់តែងទុកមករសាត់កាត់ទុក្ខសោកវាសនាវិយោគគ្រាំគ្រា។ (ដូចនឹងពាក្យដែលស្រីសច្ចា)​ សាងសារ ​រួមស្នេហាលុះគ្រាអវសាន្ត៕

[កំណត់ - ពាក្យក្នុងរង្វង់ក្រចកខាងលើនេះជាពាក្យខ្ញុំ ស្មានទេ]

ថៃ្ងអស់សង្ឃឹម​(១៩៦៨)

ថៃ្ងនេៈអស់សង្ឃឹម អូនញញឹមមិនស្រស់ ស្តាយភ្លេចអស់អនុស្សា ស្នេហាអូនប្រួលប្រែ ។

ស្នេហ៏ដូចជាមិនស្នេហ៏ ឃើញតែក្តីសោកសៅ អូនឳ្យបងរង់ចាំស្ងួន នឹមនួនម៉េ្តចពៅភ្លេចបាន ។

ព្រៈច័ន្ទភ្លឺច្បាស់ក្រឡៈប្រែអាប់រស្មី យល់តែស័ព្ទសំដី ស្រីថ្លៃនឹកគ្មានភ្លេច ។

អូនបងលាអូនហើយ ណ្ហើយភ្លេចចោលទៅ បងមិនស្មានថាអូនស្ងួន នឹមនួនបែកចិត្តចោលបាន ៕

រឿងដើម(?១៩៦៥)

ពេលដែលនឹកឃើញរឿងដើមកាលណា ឈឺចាប់ខ្លោចផ្សារឳរ៉ាឥតល្ហែ ។​ វាសនា វាសនា វាសនាខ្ញុំអើយ ម្តេចឡើយប្រទៈតែទុក្ខ ។ [ភ្លេចអស់ហើយ]

And two more recordings i had on old tapes that needed to be rescued from oblivion.

Pisyati​ ពិស្យាទី

Romduol Bopha រំដួលបុប្ផា

Mr Sem Vandeth reported that in 1969 Seum's home was near the Wat Sompeou Meas roundabout (just east of the Olympic stadium). In those days Seum had played host to singaporean artists. He drove a white new car, an indication of a comfortable lifestyle in Sangkum days. Together with Samouth, Ros Sereysothea and Huoy Meas, he was a regular singer at the state owned Pochentong cabaret Magazin d' Etat.  He often appeared live in variety shows at the Cambodian Television Royale Khmere with fellow artists from the National Radio such as Huoy Meas, Keo Sokha, Chea Savoeun and In Yeng. In 1968 this blogger whose Lycee Descartes school was opposite to the recording studio of the National Radio witnessed an intercation involving Seum at a street drink stall (ទឹកកកឈូស) in which a few bottles were smashed.

When the war broke out in 1970 Seum joined the cultural group of the 13th Division and like Samouth and Sos Math at the time, became second lieutenant (សក្កិ១) in the republican army. The 13th division was commanded by legendary Khmer Issarak chieftain Prince Norodom Chantaraingsey.

After Seum was hospitalised for his illness, Mr Sem Vandeth recalled an incident when his uncle asked him to borrow recordings from the producers, and to which he would listen​ in tears from his Calmette hospital bed. Some of Seum's later covers of chinese songs carried an audible strain as he struggled to complete the recordings.

ព្រ៖អាទិត្យភ្លឺស្រាងៗ

As the deadly illness took its tolls the Seum family returned Seum to his native province to receive traditional Khmer healing and herbal care. At his death Seum was survived by his wife, a son and a daugther, all of whom were reported in March 1996 to have survived the Pol Pot years. Seum's wife was living in Battambang while his son was in Koh Kong province.


Source: សានសាណា​  អ្នកចម្រៀងអឹុមសុងសឺុម ម្ចាស់បទ "ខ្មៅអើយខ្មៅ" ទស្សនាវដី្ត ប្រជាប្រិយ The Popular Magazine ១‍​​ -​ ១៥ មេសា ១៩៩៦  ភ្នំពេញ