Episode 13:  “Not Standing Anymore” ft Chhom Nimol (of Dengue Fever)

Meklit: How do you celebrate New Year's? What is that like?

Nimol: The New Years, Cambodian New Year, they not gonna sing a sad song. We just want a happy song. Dance together. I see you, you see me? Gimme flowers. It's just like that. Yeah. You pour me a drink. Thank you. I pour you back. Dance and drink until I pass out three days.

Meklit: Better have some stamina.

Nimol: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

NARRATION: I talked to Chhom Nimol just before Cambodian New Years, in April. She was gearing up for a busy season of community events with gigs all around the Los Angeles. But some of you may know Nimol from a very different setting.

MUSIC: Dengue Fever

NARRATION: She is also the lead singer of the band Dengue Fever, which plays its own unique spin on psychedelic Cambodian rock from the 60s and 70s. The music and musicians they pay tribute to were all but wiped out by the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge. Nimol and her family survived through that time in a refugee camp, just across the border in Thailand. But her musical journey would ultimately take her across more borders, over oceans and back again to where she began.

My name is Meklit and this is Movement: music and migration, remixed.

Meklit: Okay. So just to backtrack for a minute, how did you learn to sing?

Nimol: My brother. I remember that when I was young, he was know how to play guitar. He teaching me to sing, but I don't wanna be a singer at the time. I'm very, I'm not sure I'm gonna tell you the truth. I was 10 years old. My dream was, wanna be a actress.

Meklit: Oh, wow.

Nimol: Yes. You believe that? And my family laughing me, Nimol, are you sure you wanna be actress? Look at yourself. And my brother said, no, we don't have a blood for the, actress, but we have a blood for singing.

Nimol: My brother told me, my bigger sister, she is a famous singer.

Meklit: Oh, wow. 

Nimol: And at that time she live in Cambodia. We separate after, Kamar Rouge. My sister the only one she stay in Cambodia and my mom and my two brothers and my dad, we escaped from Cambodia to refugee camp at the time.

So she's famous singing on the radio. And then my mom heard her on the radio and then she said, oh, that's my daughter. She's still alive. And I was so young I thought my sister inside the radio. Yeah. I said, oh. And then I remember that my mom and my brothers, they told me about, your sister have very good voice. She's the best singer. She's the sweetest voice in the whole world. Her voice is superpower.

MUSIC: Out

Meklit: So it was you there with your parents and your brother?

Nimol: I, yes.

Meklit: Was that in Thailand?

Nimol: Yeah. In Thailand.

Meklit: In Thailand. Okay. Okay.

Nimol: I remember that I was young. I saw the UNHCR. The truck bring us food every week. They give us a rice beans, oil, and tuna in the cans. They have clothes give it to us. That's UNHCR

Meklit: So how did you go back to Cambodia?

Nimol: The war end. Simple, war end, so UNHCR bring us from refugee to Cambodia. And I remember that my sister, she's alive in Cambodia, and my sister write the letters to my mom. To tell her, mom I'm still alive. I'm in Cambodia, so come back. I'm here waiting for you guys

Meklit: And then you were reunited.

Nimol: Yeah

Meklit: But then how did you go from not wanting to be a singer to becoming a famous singer?

Nimol: My sister moved to Canada for a couple years and my family is very down, so I need to make some money to support my family. My brother he's very serious. You have to become a singer. You need to learn how to sing. So we can make money to support our family.

So Cambodia, in that time 1997, they are start the first Cambodian, like, it's similar of American Idol.

My family, my mom, my brothers, and my biggest sister, who is this famous already and she's tell me, if you wanna be a singer, you have to focus to yourself. And also this is life. It is life and everybody knew I am the younger sister of her. Her name was very big already in my country. She said, if you are loose, her name is gonna be down. Right? She, yeah, she said that. I,

Meklit: That's so much pressure.

Nimol: I, it is, it's true. But she, she told me, I know you can do it.

I learned every single song and I cannot sleep about a week. I pray, I'm singing, I'm depressed. The first day on TV, super nervous.

Meklit: I bet, because you were, you were 17 or something like. Like you were still young.

Nimol: I remember the start 16 and a half, not 17 yet. 1997. Yeah. Skinny, and super innocent look. Just come up on stage. So nervous.

Meklit: But you did it.

Nimol: Thanks, yeah, I did it. And very excited for me because a wife, a prime minister of Cambodian, she was in front of the stage, the last, last day. That's a very big deal of me, you know? I won at the contest. 1997, the best female singer in first live on tv.

Meklit: And so, how did your sister react when you won?

Nimol: She was super happy, excited, and she say, that's my sister

Meklit: She was proud.

Nimol: Proud. Yeah.

Meklit: At that point, was that when you left for the US?

Nimol: Okay, I remember that. Right after I won, a lot of phone call, a lot of sponsor from friends, from Australia, from Canada, from the United States. I remember that 2000, I came here for Celebrate Cambodian New Year's.

Meklit: Mm.

Nimol: Yeah. And sponsored by, people they live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So, Cambodian community invite me and my brothers come to the States singing for Celebrate Cambodian New Year. I remember in March and still Snow my first time see Snow. Whoa. Snow in March.

Meklit: Right!

MUSIC: Enter

Nimol: After that first show in Minneapolis. I got a second show in the Seattle and after that, Pennsylvania. I have a visa for three months and then I stay until six months and almost eight months and Visa expire.

Because they already book. My dad was, yeah, my dad was helping me to book. My dad was the tour manager at that time.

Meklit: Keep it in the family.

Nimol: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Meklit: So then you went to Seattle, you went all over, lots of gigs are coming, and then how did you get to LA

Nimol: The last show was LA because they said, the LA Long Beach, especially the big largest Cambodian community. My dad said Long Beach keep for the LA show. So we want to do the last show in Long Beach. So I remember that I was singing at Long Beach, the club called Dragon House, the Cambodian nightclub. I was sitting there and the last show was packed in about 1000 people.

Meklit: Wow.

Nimol: After that, the Dragon House owner, they say, okay, do you wanna stay here to sing every weekend?

MUSIC: Shift

Nimol: I not sure yet. I wanna go back to Cambodia. I don't wanna stay cuz I don't know. I'm, what I'm gonna stay? And a lot friends and family, they say, oh, you should stay because you already here and you young. It's good if you stay here, maybe longer in the future, maybe better. I was like 19 years old. What is the future? I'm just become a famous. I wanna travel.

Meklit: right?

Nimol: Not just stuck with one place, you know? I'm decided to stay. And then the band come to looking for a singer, Ethan and Zack.

NARRATION: Ethan and Zac Holtzman are the two brothers who started the band Dengue Fever. Just at the moment when they were looking for a singer, they heard Nimol perform at Dragon House. 

Nimol: And they saw me on stage. They say, I wanna talk to you, I wanna talk to you. They told my manager, who is the translate English to them. He said, Nimol, Zack and Ethan, they wanna talk to you. They want you to join the band. I say, I don't sing English. No, I don't know. But they just wanna talk to you. And they gave me a cassette tape to listen. 

Zach told me, I remember that, do you know the song called New Year's Eve? That song we already play, Jochnom Kmhei.. and I say, oh, I know that song. That's what they try to tell me we want to do a Rock and Roll but using my languages still.

Meklit: Mm-hmm.

Nimol: Yeah, your voice is with the band would match. That's how it's happened right now.

Meklit: So how is it different for you performing at Cambodian events compared to performing with Dengue Fever?

Nimol: Oh, yes. It's completely different. Very different. So Cambodian events is singing. All kind of type of rhythm, not just rock like that. Sometimes slow song. Sometimes we sing Chacha Cha or traditional circle dancing. Marizone, or Talong, or Saraban. It's, that's so completely different.

Meklit: Yeah.

Nimol: Yes, Sometime I feel like singing with Dengue Fever, I have juice a lot my voice. Yeah, it is. And I still be done and say, oh, I'm tired. I'm, I wanna pass out. Yeah. No time to relax.

Meklit: But then when you're singing with a Cambodian band, there's more space in the music

Nimol: Yeah. More space. I have to sit down some. Another singer go up, I need to go down. Sit down and get some drink, you know, chit chat. Oh, this is my turn, you know? But Dengue Fever I say, how come I, how come I'm doing like this? It's, I'm very tired. The very beginning. Sometime I don't think I'm enjoying it so much, but I feel like, hey, wait a minute. I see the world. I see different people. You know? But make me enjoy it more and, more and more. Yeah.

Meklit: Is it, are the audiences different?

Nimol: It is different. The audience is different. More white people. I saw one of the first show I, when I'm singing, the audience in the front is just dance and just follow me. I feel like, oh, okay. Even they don't understand what I'm saying, but they just enjoy my music, my culture and our group. I'm very like, happy and just make me very, like, close my eyes. I say, okay, Nimol. Even they don't understand about you, you sing and they just love you. Just keep do what you have to do.

Meklit: Yes.

Nimol: I say that's what make me more happy and more powerful.

Meklit: Yes. Yes. You've been together a long time now, do you ever meet Cambodians at your shows now in Dengue Fever?

Nimol: Yes. The youngest that start coming. The youngest and people who is the, they,  not speak good Khmer. They checks online. They heard, oh, Dengue Fever. Oh, I know, I know her! And some parents, they don't know me, but they, the children know me. And say, mom, do you know this lead singer? And they showed the parents and Oh, I know them! I know family! I know Chhom Chhorvin! I know her sister! I know! And, yeah, mom, she is the lead singer of the band called Dengue Fever. Oh, really? Because they don't check. Parents, like old folk, they don't check English. They don't check online.

MUSIC: Dengue Fever in Cambodia

Meklit: What was it like when you went to perform in Cambodia with Dengue Fever? How did the people, how did the people hear the music? How did they experience it?

Nimol: I remember that. I'm very sure they excited to see, oh, Dengue Fever! Oh Chhom Nimol! With the band, some people said, Hollywood band. No, it's not Hollywood band. We are living LA. We live in LA. We are not Hollywood man. 

Meklit: That’s funny.

Nimol: I remember 2005, first time we went to Cambodia together to play first show on TV CTN. I was so nervous and so stressful because my first time that would go back to Cambodia for five years and I have chance to go back and play music.

We have so much people in front of the stage because of Cambodian festival in November. People come to the Phnom Penh to celebrate, to see the bands and it's just free concert

Meklit: Yeah.

Nimol: And they just look at, oh Chhom Nimol, she's sing with why? Like, they, call white people a Kayang. Oh, Chhom Nimol sing with a Kayang. Like, they call a French people called Barang. Oh, it's not Barang it’s Kayang. Yeah.

But when we are on TV, live on CTN, right after that, I get a phone call from the big high government. They say, oh, so proud. Great, bring the white people singing Kamas song, old song. That's great. Good, good. I say, oh, thank God. Thank God they love it. Yeah. 

I'm just worried about, maybe they don't like, maybe they talk shit. Because me, before I'm singing with Dengue Fever, I very innocent and just like slow song and relax. Just like, just stay one spot. Not move like Dengue fever. And that's why I just feel like if they saw me now, I'm changed. 

Meklit: Right.

Nimol: Not the same, not the same Still anymore.

Meklit: Right. I know you have a new record coming out, is there a song on the record that feels that it's like, the most special for you, either musically or with the lyrics?

Nimol: Yes. I remember that we were in Cambodia when we have a concert. Zack saw me went to the stinky market to buy some Prahok and the dry fish bring back, 

Meklit: The Stinky Market?

Nimol: I mean it’s called stinky, yes, Stinky Market. It, it's very stinky fish and all the bird stuff, but that's how we eat. Have you been to, you've been to Siem Reap, you need to go to the market

Meklit: Oh, I’ll go

Nimol: You can smell it from far away. Zach wrote the song, called Prahok. A Prahok  is a Mudfish. It's very popular of my community. My people, they, everybody eat Prahok. They cannot live without Prahok. Prahok is the Mudd fish. You can, put anything you want. 

So he wrote the music. And I'm writing the lyrics. It’s a song about, I know it is, Prahok is stinky, but taste very good. If you never eat it. You should try it. You should try it, if you don't try, you don't know. If you are fall in love with me, you should try the stinky mud fish.

Meklit: There's wisdom, wisdom in that, you know?

Nimol: Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Stink.

Meklit: But delicious

Nimol: But it is delicious.

NARRATION: The new album by Dengue Fever is called "Ting Mong," and it's out September 15th. You can hear Nimol on tour with the band this September, or in our Movement live shows, yes yes y'all, in Arizona and Los Angeles this October, or if you're lucky, catch her next year around Cambodian New Years. 

If you enjoyed this story, folks, consider sending it to a friend, or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts. Believe me, it really does help people find the show. Movement is produced by Ian Coss and myself, Meklit Hadero. Our co-creator and podcast godmother is Julie Caine. Our broadcast partner is The World. We are supported by The Mellon Foundation, The National Geographic Society and distributed by PRX.