Preview — ‘The Golden Voice: The Ballad Of Cambodian Rock’s Lost Queen’

Welcome to the table,

I really enjoy it when a comic teaches me something. When the press release came across my desk about The Golden Voice: The Ballad of Cambodian Rock’s Lost Queen it gave me the feeling that it is setting itself up to be one of those beautifully produced comics that tells an extraordinary historical story I have yet to come across.

Published by Humanoids, The Golden Voice: The Ballad of Cambodian Rock’s Queen is written by Emmy Award-winning producer and writer Gregory Cahill and features art by Kat Baumann, with designer Cindy Sous and music archivist Rotanak Oum rounding out the creative team. This story is about the legendary Cambodian singer Ros Serey Sothea, whose extraordinary talent led to stardom during Cambodia’s golden age of music in the 1960s until her mysterious disappearance during the brutal cultural purges of the Khmer Rouge regime.

There is apparently a saying in Cambodia: Music is the soul of a nation.

Perhaps no one embodied that spirit more than Ros Serey Sothea, a young woman who would forever change the landscape of Cambodian music as the Queen with the Golden Voice. From a humble rice farmer to superstar singer, Sothea’s success captured the hearts of the Khmer people. Throughout her life, she recorded over 500 songs, her signature voice soaring over genres from traditional ballads to psychedelic rock and beyond.

As war raged, Sothea continued to sing, even as she served as one of the country’s first female paratroopers but after years of bloody conflict, the Khmer Rouge seized control, murdering artists and destroying their music, and resulting in the disappearance of Sothea, whose true fate is unknown to this day.

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have contributed to the emergence of The Golden Voice, a book about my sister Ros Serey Sothea. On the occasion of the English version release, I raise my ten fingers and pray for its success. Let her beautiful voice fill the hearts of humanity all over the world.” said Ros Saboeun, oldest sister of Ros Serey Sothea.

Ros Serey Sothea’s golden voice lives on in the popular music of Cambodia. Gone but not forgotten, her legacy continues to inspire. The Golden Voice tells the story of Sothea’s life, developed alongside the surviving family who knew her, and accompanied by an interactive soundtrack.

“Ros Serey Sothea had a musical talent that was almost uncanny. She makes you feel her emotions within yourself, regardless of your language or generation. Not many singers possess that rare gift, and I believe that’s why her musical legacy has survived with such resilience. The Khmer Rouge endeavored to crush the human spirit, but her spirit was just too bright. I think the world is just a little bit better because she graced us with her gift for even a short time.” said Gregory Cahill.

The Golden Voice: The Ballad of Cabodian Rock’s Lost Queen will be available in bookstores everywhere on October 10, 2023 and on October 11, 2023 in comic shops. Digital copies can be purchased from comiXology and other digital platforms.

Until next time, I hope you learn something fun today.