Mao Sareth ( km, ម៉ៅ សារ៉េត ) was a

Cambodian Cambodian usually refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Cambodia ** Cambodian people (or Khmer people) ** Cambodian language (or Khmer language) ** For citizens and nationals of Cambodia, see Demographics of Cambodia ** Fo ...

singer active from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s. Sareth was born in 1944 in

Battambang Battambang ( km, បាត់ដំបង, UNGEGN: ) is the capital of Battambang Province and the third largest city in Cambodia. Founded in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is the leading rice-producing province of the coun ...

, with the birth name Pol Sarann. She was one of the earliest popular singers in the Cambodian rock scene of the early 1960s, in which musicians combined traditional

Khmer music The music of Cambodia is derived from a mesh of cultural traditions dating back to the ancient Khmer Empire, India, China and the original indigenous tribes living in the area before the arrival of Indian and Chinese travelers. With the rapid We ...

styles with popular forms from the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Mao was cited as an influence by later singers

Pen Ran Pen Ran ( km, ប៉ែន រ៉ន, ), (c. 1944 – c. 1979) also commonly known as Pan Ron in some Romanization of Khmer, Romanized sources intended for English-speaking audiences, was a Cambodian singer and songwriter who was at the height of ...

and

Ros Serey Sothea Ros Serey Sothea ( km, រស់ សេរីសុទ្ធា/ ; c. 1948 – c. 1977) was a Cambodian singer. She was active during the final years of the First Kingdom of Cambodia and into the Khmer Republic period. She sang in a variety of ...

. She is known to have performed live as late as 1973. During an interview with Huoy Meas, Mao Sareth stated that she had three sisters and that she came from a family of musicians. In her free time she liked to read romantic novels. Along with many musicians and members of other suspect professions, she was executed by the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge (; ; km, ខ្មែរក្រហម, ; ) is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) and by extension to the regime through which the CPK ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. ...

sometime during the later years of the Cambodian Civil War or early in the

Cambodian Genocide The Cambodian genocide ( km, របបប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍នៅកម្ពុជា) was the systematic persecution and killing of Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Communist Party of Kampuchea genera ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mao, Sareth 1944 births 20th-century Cambodian women singers Year of death missing People executed by the Khmer Rouge Executed Cambodian women