Cambodian singers "steal" songs of Vietnamese colleagues

Last update 21/05/2013

To listen to the song in both Khmer and Vietnamese here. 

 

VietNamNet Bridge – Some Vietnamese singers and bands like My Tam, Duy Manh, Nhat Tinh Anh, Khanh Ngoc, group 365 have suffered from plagiarism in Cambodia.

My Tam’s three hits “Can Only Be Love," "Rain of the Past" and "For the Love" were blatantly copied by her Cambodian colleagues.

My Tam’s three hits “Can only Be Love," "Rain of the Past" and "For the Love" were blatantly copied by her Cambodian colleagues.

Two out of three songs were among the top hits in Vietnam more than five years ago, but until now Vietnamese netizens discovered that they were copied by Cambodian singers. It's not "selectively absorbing" because even normal people who know nothing about music can realize the similarity between these Cambodian songs and My Tam’s songs from the first notes.

The beat of the three songs of My Tam was exactly aped by Cambodian singers. For the lyrics, which is in Khmer so it is not defined whether they are translated from Vietnamese or not.

The Cambodian singer who stole the songs of My Tam is Tep Boprek (Pich Sophea), a famous singer in Cambodia. Born in 1993, Tep Boprek has had an admirable career. She is currently an exclusive singer of Reaksmey Hang Meas and just released an album called Reach Boprek. She is also considered a leading dancer in Cambodia.

Many fans of My Tam have expressed dissatisfaction about the discovery while My Tam has not raised her voice yet.

“Get on the Floor,” a hit of the 5-member boy group 365 that was launched last December was used by a Cambodian male singer. The incident has just been discovered.

The song of 365 was translated into Khmer language and the melody is up to 95 percent similar to the original song. Even one who listens to the songs for the first time can easily recognize the similarity.

The Cambodian singer also used dances in the MV of 365 group. After watching this clip, many fans of 365 are outraged. Someone advised 365 group and its company to lodge a lawsuit against the Cambodian singer.   

365 group’s manager Ngo Thanh Van said the incident is not good but it is also a way to show the audience another side of 365. "We are always asked about imitating Korean stars, and this is the answer for everyone. The 365 and singers of VAA always try to build their image in a unique, pioneering style in the Vietnamese music market. Possibly, this different style urged foreign singers to copy them," said Van.

She said, though the "clone" of the Cambodian singer is quite funny and attracts the audience, she was not happy when this guy did not ask for permission to use the song of 365. However, Van does not want to sue for copyright, because it is very difficult.

Reportedly, the singer who copied the song “Get on the Floor” is Chorn Sovanreach, a pretty reputable singer in Cambodia.

After the song, “December Boy,” another song by singer Thuy Tien “Still Love You Forever” was also “stolen” by a Cambodian singer.

“Still Love You Forever” is the theme song of the album that Thuy Tien released in 2011. The song was also illegally used by Tep Boprek, who also performed three songs by My Tam without permission.

The Cambodian singer performed the song at a big gala in Cambodia. The song titled “Bong jes kbot oun oun kor jes kbot bong” keeps the beat as well as the part of the original version by Thuy Tien. The incident was discovered a long time ago but Thuy Tien kept silent and ignored it.

Ho Ngoc Ha is also a victim. Her song “Find a Dream” in the album of the same name was illegally used by a Cambodian singer. The song writer – Nguyen Hong Thuan – was glad because his song is wellcomed overseas, but he is also upset because the song is used without his permission.

Knowing that her song was used illegally in Cambodia, Ho Ngoc Ha was surprise but like Thuy Tien, she did not have any response.

“Incomplete Rainbow,” the song marking the return of male singer Tuan Hung in 2008, was performed by many Cambodian singers, with different “versions”. Song singers only translated the lyrics into Khmer.

“Crying Moon” is the noisiest case because it was not just "copied" by Cambodian, but also Chinese and Lao singers. Musician Nguyen Van Chung had to struggle to elucidate the Vietnamese origin of the song.

“Crying Moon” was a big hit in Vietnam in 2003, which created the fame for singers Khanh Ngoc and Nhat Tinh Anh. But then, the song appeared on the Internet in various languages, making headache for musician Nguyen Van Chung. He was even suspected of "plagiarism."

To confirm that the song is his innovation, Van Chung filed lawsuits against the foreign "versions". The victory of composer Nguyen Van Chung showed a contradictory situation of Vietnamese music. Not only Vietnamese singers plagiarized foreign songs but also neighboring singers copied Vietnamese music.

In 2006, “Gambling” was revealed, making the name Duy Manh one of the best selling singers at that time. Until now, it is one of the most memorable and most listened songs by Duy Manh.

However, shortly after the song was released, a Cambodian version of “Gambling” appeared. Duy Manh was suspected of plagiarism. Duy Manh was very angry. He announced the bounty of VND20 million then VND1 billion ($60,000) for anyone who show the evidence for his plagiarism. After much research, music lovers proved that the Cambodian singer used Duy Manh’s song illegally.

Besides “Find a Dream,” another song by Nguyen Hong Thuan was used by a Cambodian singer without asking for permission. The song “Call Your Name A Thousand Times” is quite famous in Vietnam. It was performed by several artists like Cao Thai Son, Phan Dinh Tung and Khanh Phuong.

In Cambodia, it also became a hit, performed by Preap Sovath, the “King of Pop” in this country. Preap Sovath also copied Tuan Hung’s “Incomplete Rainbow” and some Chinese songs.