TSI has been working with a group of artists since September 2021. The .WAV programme aimed to amplify female artists' voices by teaching music production to enhance their art.
As .WAV now comes to a close, we want to reflect on the past sixteen months of creative effort and share the songs and projects these young women have accomplished.

.WAV artists enrolled in the programme learnt practical skills in music production. With the support of small grants and mentoring, the songs produced during this programme have now been released. Here are the updates on each student pair and their projects.
Honging x Prema - មនុស្សស្រី (Mnus Srey)
The song, មនុស្សស្រី (Mnus Srey), illustrates discrimination and double standards that women still have to face daily in the music industry. Mnus Srey is the collaborative work of Thorng HongIng aka Ing and Chan Prema. The piece draws attention to the injustices and misogyny that remain a fact of life for most Cambodian women.

"Mnus Srey" was released as a lyric video; it also became part of the campaign "16 days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence" when their partner, Women Peacemakes invited the pair to present their song at a local event.
Honging x Monika - Re-Five
Ing and her partner Virak Monika are passionate advocates for limiting the use of plastic in day-to-day life. Together they co-wrote and co-produced RE-FIVE, a song that encourages youth to implement the 5Rs (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Remind). They also created “Tos Yerng”, a social media platform to raise awareness on this issue. Under “Tos Yerng”, they teamed up with All Dreams Cambodia, a tourism company, and initiated the #ONESTEPNOPLASTIC campaign. All Dreams Cambodia also sponsored an additional $2k for their upcoming music video.


Through the #ONESTEPNOPLASTIC campaign, Tos Yerng and All Dreams Cambodia successfully hosted clean-up events in five provinces in Cambodia, including Kep, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kratie, and Phnom Penh, which attracted more than 1,300 people. Alongside the clean-up events, Tos Yerng also held a photo competition under the maxim: “One Step No Plastic” to encourage youths to participate in the movement.
Re-Five official song is being prepared for a full public release, so stay tuned!
Blog Post: Read more about Ing story here!
YungLady x Marina - នារីក្លាហាន (Neary Klahan)
នារីក្លាហាន (Neary Klahan) is a song that emphasises the resilience of women.


Marina is a talented singer-songwriter; with the dynamic combination of YungLadys verses, Neary Klahan promotes women's power and how they can reach beyond the limits set for them by sociocultural narratives.
Their song “Neary Klahan” was released with an interview alongside BREAKTHROUGH, a movement and organisation that promotes gender equality through storytelling.
YungLady is an original Cambodian talent who has made a statement and created a path for others who aspire to be like her. She advocates for social issues and women’s rights.
After developing basic skills in the music production process, and with the help of Ableton-sponsored software, YungLady will continue to build her creative talent and output.

Norea x Theary - Dream
The song "Dream" is about being resilient as a female artist.

WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO HERE
Norea and Theary pitched to make their song into a professional music video and release it through a campaign in March to promote women in the creative industry. To continue building momentum Mean and Theary developed the Dream Movement to spread their messages further.

With support from partner Rong Cheang Studio, Norea and Theary organised a workshop for the Dream Movement. The workshop was co-facilitated by visual artist Fia and structured around sharing personal stories, conversations, and creative activities to encourage youth to envision their futures.
Thida and Monika - ធ្វើបាន (Tver Ban)
A guitar teacher with a great passion for music, Nou Thida paired with photographer Virak Monika, to write a song that reassures and encourages youth.

Their song “Tver Ban” was promoted during their music workshop at Serve Cambodia. Thida and Monika encouraged the next generation to engage in music, dialogue and creative expression. The workshop allowed students at Serve Cambodia to showcase their talents and practice self-expression.

Women have the ability; the .WAV programme is about offering resources and opportunities.
Thank you to all the partners who helped make these projects come to life and Ableton for sponsoring all software licences to support artists in Cambodia to elevate their voices.
Bình luận