Pen Ran was a Cambodian singer and songwriter known particularly for her western rock and soul influences, flirtatious dancing, and risque lyrics. Pen Ran has been described by the New York Times as a “worldly, wise-cracking foil” to the more restrained Cambodian pop singers of her era. The height of her popularity was during the 1960’s to early 1970’s.
Not much is known about Pen Ran’s personal history. It is established that she was from Battambang and also attended the same school as Ros Serey Sothea, another popular Cambodian singer of the same era. She also had a sister by the name of Pen Ram who was also part of the Cambodian psychedelic rock scene. Pen Ran disappeared during the Khmer Rouge genocide and her exact fate is unknown.