Censoring songs on a certain station or platform is one thing, but did you know that some countries have gone so far as to ban music altogether?
The power of music to provoke and unite people and cultures has long been a double-edged sword. Whether for religious, political or moral reasons, songs that challenge the status quo are often silenced. The BBC refused to reproduce God Save the Queen of the Sex Pistols, United States banned Beatles songs, China banned K-Pop for fear of its global influence, Nazi Germany banned Jazz music and the military government of Brazil censored up to 500 songs between 1964 and 1985.
That said, there have been places with bans that have been even more radical. When the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, reinstated its previous blanket ban on music. Yet despite these restrictions, music’s ability to defy repression continues to resonate around the world.
“A government can clamp down on any kind of musical creation, but the music will still play,” says Marianne Franklin, author of Global Music Politics: Whose Playlist for Troubled Times (Global Music Policy: Playlist for Hard Times)
In 1975, the Khmer Rougea radical communist movement, began their reign of terror in Cambodia. Citizens were stripped of their homes, possessions, and culture, and anyone who might challenge the new regime, including intellectuals and artists, was murdered. Over four years, the Khmer Rouge erased much of Cambodia’s rich cultural heritage, including its music.
Before the so-called Year Zero, Cambodia experienced a golden age of music in the 1960s and early 1970s. Dance floors were filled with men in smart suits and women in miniskirts, dancing to psychedelic, rock’n’roll-inspired tunes carried over the airwaves from American ships stationed in the South China Sea, featuring names such as Sin Sisamoutha well-known pop star. Although some tried to save her musical heritage by hiding records, the reign of the Khmer Rouge made it almost impossible to preserve this vibrant culture.
“When music is banned, these benefits are lost, causing a significant emotional and psychological void,” he says. Ehab Youseffa psychotherapist based in Egypt.
Now, decades later, Cambodia is beginning to reclaim its lost musical heritage. The Gong, the country’s largest arts and cultural centre, has just opened its doors 60 kilometres northeast of Phnom Penh. Featuring a state-of-the-art recording studio and 140-seat auditorium, the Gong aims to celebrate, preserve and revitalise Cambodian music, documenting traditional Khmer music while supporting new artists with cutting-edge technology.
The singer-songwriter Lomorkesor Rithyknown as Kesorrr, was one of the first to perform in the Gong. He grew up with Western music, but later sought to explore Cambodia’s Golden Age and co-founded Plerng Kob, a creative hub, and Bonn Phum, an annual cultural festival. In the postwar period, according to Lomorkesor, Cambodia’s music scene was reduced to covers and karaoke singers. “Now we have pop,” he said. [original]“rock, R&B and hip-hop,” he says. “There was a time when we lost our identity. We have to start from scratch and find our sounds again.”
The Cambodian diaspora is also spreading the word. The American group Dengue Feverwith Cambodian vocalist Chhom Nimol, released her album in 2023 Ting Monginspired by Cambodian music of the 1960s. His success in Europe and the United States and his appearances on Cambodian television demonstrate the worldwide interest in Cambodia’s musical heritage.
Zac Holtzman, co-founder of the band, says they were surprised by the response they received during their tour in Cambodia. “One guy who was almost in tears told me that Cambodia has been in decline for a while, and that this is a great reminder that we have beautiful music, and it is not forgotten.”
While Cambodia strives to revive its musical heritage, other countries continue to seek the balance between artistic expression and government restrictions. In the 1960s and 1970s, Saudi Arabia actively promoted the arts. However, this changed dramatically in 1979, when the preacher-led al-Yamaa al-Salafiya al-Muhtasiba took over. Great Mosque of MeccaShortly afterwards, the Saudi government adopted a more conservative stance, resulting in the closure of cinemas and the banning of public musical performances.
For Emad Ashour, a 44-year-old from Jeddah, this change meant having to pursue his passion for music behind closed doors. Inspired by Western bands like Metallica and Kiss, Ashour learned to play guitar and eventually formed the heavy metal band Immortal Pain in 2005. “There was no internet back then, so I started teaching myself, taking some classes and studying books.”
Ashour and his band became part of an underground heavy metal scene, performing only in private venues due to a lack of official permits.
A new era began with the ascension of a new king in 2015, leading to rapid changes as Saudi Arabia sought to diversify its economy away from oil. In 2017, Riyadh hosted its first live concert in 25 years. Soon after, the country began building a sports and entertainment stadium with capacity for 20,000 people near the city of Diriyaha UNESCO World Heritage Site. International artists such as Post Malone have performed in the kingdom, and the Soundstorm festival, a four-day desert rave where men and women dance together without segregation, has become a headline event.
In 2021, Immortal Pain became the first heavy metal band to perform publicly at a large-scale event, Comic Con Arabia in Jeddah. “There was no fear,” says Ashour. “There was excitement because our music is finally being recognized.”
Since their concert, other heavy metal bands have performed, such as Metallica or a striking Saudi psychedelic rock band made up exclusively of women, Law.
“You could say we are a bit jealous, because it is easier these days,” says Ashour. “But we are proud of what happened in the 1990s, of the struggle to find places [underground] where to play. It was exciting.”
Saudis and Cambodians are not the only ones who have suffered severe restrictions on their tunes. In Iran, the 1979 revolution The music was abruptly put an end to because the new Shia Islamic leaders thought it was corrupting the youth. Traditional music was allowed to resume a few months later, but Western music and female solo singers were no longer culturally acceptable.
Now, 45 years later, Iranian classical, folk and pop music floats through the country’s air, and it’s even possible to see buskers on the streets of Tehran. Western electronic musician Schiller even performed in Tehran in 2017. However, not all artists are free to perform openly. While female solo singers can appear in The Voice Persiathe show is filmed in Sweden. Meanwhile, rap music has gained popularity, although artists who write lyrics deemed threatening by the authorities still face jail time.
