The Cambodian singer who kept the ’60s rocking around the world

Inspired as she was by Cambodia’s 1960s rock ’n’ roll and determined to keep it alive, it seems particularly cruel that the death of Cambodian Space Project vocalist Kak Channthy at the age of 38 so closely mirrored the trajectories of her own idols; killed before their time as the Khmer Rouge sought to snuff out any memories of that golden age.

Channthy died in the early hours of March 20 in Phnom Penh, when the tuk-tuk she was travelling home in was hit by a car. It’s the kind of accident that happens with maddening frequency in Cambodia, but the shock and heartbreak that has reverberated globally in its wake speaks to the impact Channthy had on those around her, and how hard it has been to accept that she is gone.

Channthy succeeded in reigniting the flame that the Khmer Rouge failed to completely extinguish. Playing gigs around the world as the charming, cheeky and beguiling lead vocalist of The Cambodian Space Project, she paid tribute to those old sounds in cover versions, while writing fresh, original music that also tipped a hat to the Cambodian singers and songwriters who had gone before her.

Cambodia’s psychedelic rock enters new phase, inspired by golden age of 1960s and ’70s

That journey began in 2009, when band co-founder Julien Poulson walked into a karaoke bar and heard Channthy – also affectionately known as Srey Thy – singing Johnny Guitar by Peggy Lee; a rare choice of song among the chart-toppers that usually blare out into the Cambodian capital’s humid nights.

Poulson, from Australia, and Channthy decided to form a band, The Cambodian Space Project, and focused on pushing new psychedelic frontiers while staying true to the heart of Khmer rock ’n’ roll. It was a recipe that delighted people from a variety of backgrounds, and Channthy took to her role as a kind of musical ambassador with her usual cheer and spark.

“Channthy was inspired by the great Cambodian singers of the 1960s, particularly Pan Ron – an earthy, bold performer who was a kind of Aretha Franklin, and the other great diva of the time, Ros Sereysothea, who could be compared to Diana Ross,” says Scott Bywater, who played in The Cambodian Space Project and collaborated with Channthy on other musical projects.

“In turn, Channthy has been an inspiration to a new generation of Cambodian singers, excited by her revival of the music of their grandparents.”

It was Channthy’s voice that carried her from her home village to stages and crowds around the world, but she used her talent as a singer and songwriter to pay tribute to Cambodia, to its beauty and hardships.