Phnom Penh & Culture: Let's celebrate Music Day together at the French Institute!

An unmissable French cultural event that has gone international, the French Institute in Cambodia invites you once again to its Music Festival on Saturday, June 21, starting at 7 p.m. on its outdoor stage, for an evening dedicated to bringing together the new Cambodian and French music scenes! Four free concerts will be offered from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., for the enjoyment of the whole family.

Luiza, a young French-Brazilian artist with a captivating voice and magnetic presence, invites you on a journey through unique soundscapes, where musical traditions from Brazil, Réunion, and the Balkans merge with contemporary rhythms (electro-pop, dub, etc.) for a musical evening full of color and surprises. Currently on tour in Asia, she is stopping off in Phnom Penh to present her new EP Fantastik on stage at the Institut français—an event not to be missed!

Opening the show, Tey and 8GK, young talents from the KlapYaHandz label, will electrify the stage before the evening ends with a masterful electro live performance by LnHD, a sound designer and DJ originally from Myanmar and now based in Phnom Penh.

“Music Day is a time of joy and conviviality, a gathering that brings together young and old alike!” says Fanny Pagès, deputy director and cultural attaché at the French Institute in Cambodia.

Created in France in 1982, Music Day quickly became a major popular event, much loved by the French. It then spread internationally, meeting with great success and becoming a real social phenomenon: today, more than 120 countries on five continents take part. This celebration is also an opportunity to promote local cultural and creative industries, which France supports as part of its cultural diplomacy.

Music Day also showcases new musical trends: the revival of traditional music, the explosion of world music, the development of choirs, the emergence of rap, techno, urban music, etc. It thus promotes visibility and access to artistic and cultural practices, demonstrating each year its ability to evolve and endure.

Guest artists

Luiza (France)

Born in Rennes to a Brazilian mother and French father, Luiza grew up in a family where music and creativity were part of everyday life. After classical training at the Rennes Conservatory, she explored Brazil and the Amazon, Parisian life, an art school in Réunion, and the stages of the world wherever her path took her. Noticed in collaborations with renowned artists such as Fakear, Mahom, Khoe-Wa, Flavia Coelho, and Féfé, she has since released her first EP, Fantastik. Her unique voice is the common thread running through this creation, which blends traditional Brazilian, Réunion, Balkan, and urban groove rhythms.

8GK (Cambodia)

8GK's music is a unique blend of soul, neo-hip-hop, and avant-garde electronic beats—a bold fusion that breaks the mold and energizes the Cambodian music scene. A year after his debut, he reached his first million views with the track Childhood, in collaboration with 4MARA. More recently, he crossed that symbolic threshold again with Tonight, a track featuring Sophia Kao, an R&B artist known for her spellbinding voice.

Tey (Cambodia)

Starting out in show business in 2011, Tey turned to music in 2016 and collaborated with several major artists on the Cambodian scene, notably Meas Soksophea. In 2018, she discovered her passion for rap and released her first hit single, Tey Vai Ma Luy. Her unique style and charisma have helped her establish herself on the local scene. In 2023, she won the Revelation of the Year award at the Pleng Music Awards, beating five other nominated artists.

LnHD (Myanmar)

Sound designer, music producer, and DJ originally from Myanmar, LnHD is now based in Phnom Penh. Named “Goethe Talents 2024,” she offers a minimalist and percussive experimental sound inspired by Southeast Asian clubs, performing on international stages such as the Pop-Kultur Festival in Berlin, as well as in clubs and festivals in Southeast Asia. Her work explores the intersections between identity, culture, and sound, with notable releases such as Jamadevi on the Indonesian label Yes No Wave and Slave Instincts on ALIGN.ONLINE, a platform promoting female and queer voices in Southeast Asia.