VannDa pays tribute to Cambodia’s resilient people with new single ‘Khmer Blood’

Cambodian rapper, singer and producer VannDa has released his second single of 2022, ‘Khmer Blood’.

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Released on January 22 on major streaming platforms alongside a music video that shows off the lush natural beauty of Cambodia interspersed with still life snapshots of his fellow countrymen going through their everyday lives, ‘Khmer Blood’ also continues VannDa’s tradition of releasing a single on his birthday every year.

“Came out the mud, now I live in the city,” VannDa raps in Khmer to a bouncy trap beat bolstered by tribal percussion as he pays tribute to his humble beginnings selling coconut shavings in his hometown of Sihanoukville.

Watch the music video for ‘Khmer Blood’ below.

The music video was shot by Cambodian studio Turren Films in partnership with Wildlife Alliance Cambodia, and was filmed over five days in four of Cambodia’s provinces with the help of a helicopter. VannDa himself was present in many of the locations for his performance shots, with the most impressive location seeing VannDa bounce to the beat atop a mountain framed by foggy hills and golden sunlight.

In a post shared on his official Facebook page following the release of the single, the rapper thanked his fans for the support and birthday wishes, promising “Many more [tracks] to come soon.”

VannDa first shot to fame in 2020 with the single ‘Time to Rise’ featuring the legendary Cambodian bard Master Khong Nay, a survivor of the Pol Pot dictatorship and renowned master of the chapei dang veng, a traditional Cambodian instrument similar to a lute. The music video for ‘Time to Rise’ has amassed a staggering 83 million views on YouTube at the time of writing, and showcases the cultural heritage of Cambodia through footage of its unique traditional architecture and cultural relics.

The rapper was recently featured at the Bangkok Music City virtual festival on November 20, 2021, alongside countrywoman Sophia Kao. The festival’s 60-act lineup included 41 Thai artists including AUTTA, FOLK9, and QLER alongside 13 acts from SouthEast Asia including VannDa himself.

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