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Huoy Meas
Huoy Meas (Khmer: ហួយ មាស pronounced [huəj miəh]) (6 January 1946 – c. 1975) also known as Meas Mathrey, was a Cambodian singer and radio announcer in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Huoy Meas was born in Svay Pao Commune, Sangkae District, Battambang Province, French protectorate of Cambodia. She was born to Buth Chin and Huoy Yoth. She was an only sister and the youngest out of three siblings; the oldest being Huoy Siyoeurn and the second oldest being Huoy Saiyo (Saiyo is presumed to teach at Kork Banteay Primary School, Kampong Chhnang province).
In 1952, Meas began attending Sor Heu Primary School (now Sor Heu Secondary School). During festivals at her school or the pagoda she’d regularly entertain the crowd with smot, storytelling, and singing. She graduated from Sor Heu around 1958 and began attending Net Yang Secondary School, an all girls’ school. Meas was known to dedicate much of her time to studying and enjoyed learning. There she became friends with future singers Pen Ran, her classmate, and, from a neighboring school, Im Song Soeum, her senior. According to Keo Chanbo, whose father was Meas’s professor, Meas was the most beloved student by her professor, Bun Thorng. She even took extra classes at his house such as French and ethics.
In early 1962, her professor had signed her up for a singing contest called Sakmach Cheat. During the contest she sang “រាត្រីនៅសូមួរ” [Night in Somuor] by Mao Sareth and she won 1st place amongst the female singers supported by admiration from her family, professor, and classmates. Due to winning the contest, she became popular within Battambang city.
In June of 1962, Meas took and failed the Diplôme d'Études Secondaires du Premier Cycle (DESPC). Due to her immense effort for school, she was too disappointed to retake the DESPC, so she gave up her studies and isolated herself in her home. However, Im Song Soeum had visited her and encouraged her to think positively, in which he invited her to join a vocal troupe with him and Pen Ran for the Steung Khiev Restaurant in Battambang (Ros Serey Sothea would later join the group).
In just a few months after joining the troupe, Meas and her peers became widely known throughout the province. Due to this, the troupe decided to move to Toul Kork, Phnom Penh and continue their singing. Soon proceeding this, Meas was introduced to the National Radio of Cambodia and began her work as a radio DJ, storytelling in the form of Lakhon Niyeay and singing. The Lakhon Niyeay program aired every weekend in which she worked alongside narrators Yuok Kem, Khun Pol, and Meas Kok, et al. During this time Meas had almost all of her discography written by songwriter Ma Laopi or Im Song Soeum as she remained cautious around men, since many would often pursue her persistently and seek her affection. Meas also sang some songs written by Professor Bun Thorng back in Battambang who would write lyrics in his letters to her.
When Meas began recording music in late 1962, she met the famous drummer Oum Sophanoureak, they eventually married and had a daughter named Oum Somavattey in 1966. However, their relationship began to extremely deteriorate after Sokphanoureak became alcoholic and his mother had pressed her to buy a car for him. Upon visiting her professor back in Battambang, Meas explained how her mother-in-law had judged her and called her a dishonest wife for saving her own earnings behind Sophanoureak’s back. However, Meas had been doing so for the sake of taking care of her daughter since her husband was an alcoholic.
The situation eventually reached a breaking point in which a conflict erupted one night in an altercation between Meas and her mother-in-law. Her husband demanded her to apologize to his mother, but Meas refused. Due to this, Sophanoureak attempted to physically abuse her, in which Meas fled their house for the night. The next morning she returned, but when her husband once again demanded an apology, Meas refused and was kicked out of the house ending up separated from her daughter so she filed for divorce. This situation presumably had inspired her future repertoire. It is stated that after the divorce Sophanoureak would often write lyrics for other singers which subtly criticized Meas, in which Meas would subtly criticize him back in her own songs.
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Huoy Meas
Huoy Meas (Khmer: ហួយ មាស pronounced [huəj miəh]) (6 January 1946 – c. 1975) also known as Meas Mathrey, was a Cambodian singer and radio announcer in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Huoy Meas was born in Svay Pao Commune, Sangkae District, Battambang Province, French protectorate of Cambodia. She was born to Buth Chin and Huoy Yoth. She was an only sister and the youngest out of three siblings; the oldest being Huoy Siyoeurn and the second oldest being Huoy Saiyo (Saiyo is presumed to teach at Kork Banteay Primary School, Kampong Chhnang province).
In 1952, Meas began attending Sor Heu Primary School (now Sor Heu Secondary School). During festivals at her school or the pagoda she’d regularly entertain the crowd with smot, storytelling, and singing. She graduated from Sor Heu around 1958 and began attending Net Yang Secondary School, an all girls’ school. Meas was known to dedicate much of her time to studying and enjoyed learning. There she became friends with future singers Pen Ran, her classmate, and, from a neighboring school, Im Song Soeum, her senior. According to Keo Chanbo, whose father was Meas’s professor, Meas was the most beloved student by her professor, Bun Thorng. She even took extra classes at his house such as French and ethics.
In early 1962, her professor had signed her up for a singing contest called Sakmach Cheat. During the contest she sang “រាត្រីនៅសូមួរ” [Night in Somuor] by Mao Sareth and she won 1st place amongst the female singers supported by admiration from her family, professor, and classmates. Due to winning the contest, she became popular within Battambang city.
In June of 1962, Meas took and failed the Diplôme d'Études Secondaires du Premier Cycle (DESPC). Due to her immense effort for school, she was too disappointed to retake the DESPC, so she gave up her studies and isolated herself in her home. However, Im Song Soeum had visited her and encouraged her to think positively, in which he invited her to join a vocal troupe with him and Pen Ran for the Steung Khiev Restaurant in Battambang (Ros Serey Sothea would later join the group).
In just a few months after joining the troupe, Meas and her peers became widely known throughout the province. Due to this, the troupe decided to move to Toul Kork, Phnom Penh and continue their singing. Soon proceeding this, Meas was introduced to the National Radio of Cambodia and began her work as a radio DJ, storytelling in the form of Lakhon Niyeay and singing. The Lakhon Niyeay program aired every weekend in which she worked alongside narrators Yuok Kem, Khun Pol, and Meas Kok, et al. During this time Meas had almost all of her discography written by songwriter Ma Laopi or Im Song Soeum as she remained cautious around men, since many would often pursue her persistently and seek her affection. Meas also sang some songs written by Professor Bun Thorng back in Battambang who would write lyrics in his letters to her.
When Meas began recording music in late 1962, she met the famous drummer Oum Sophanoureak, they eventually married and had a daughter named Oum Somavattey in 1966. However, their relationship began to extremely deteriorate after Sokphanoureak became alcoholic and his mother had pressed her to buy a car for him. Upon visiting her professor back in Battambang, Meas explained how her mother-in-law had judged her and called her a dishonest wife for saving her own earnings behind Sophanoureak’s back. However, Meas had been doing so for the sake of taking care of her daughter since her husband was an alcoholic.
The situation eventually reached a breaking point in which a conflict erupted one night in an altercation between Meas and her mother-in-law. Her husband demanded her to apologize to his mother, but Meas refused. Due to this, Sophanoureak attempted to physically abuse her, in which Meas fled their house for the night. The next morning she returned, but when her husband once again demanded an apology, Meas refused and was kicked out of the house ending up separated from her daughter so she filed for divorce. This situation presumably had inspired her future repertoire. It is stated that after the divorce Sophanoureak would often write lyrics for other singers which subtly criticized Meas, in which Meas would subtly criticize him back in her own songs.