Khmer/Viet Australian-born Producer/DJ Maggie Tra releases a liberating single ‘Strong Srey,’ a single that features on her upcoming debut album ‘Kingdom of Her’.
‘Strong Srey’ (‘Srey’ means girl/women in Khmer) is a new techno/dance single that fuses Maggie’s Khmer roots and plays around with her frustration and inevitable acceptance of being called strong.
Growing up Maggie was raised by her Cambodian mother who didn’t speak English and went through a lot of trauma from her motherland and with domestic violence. Witnessing her mother’s struggles immigrating into Australia whilst also raising 3 kids, Maggie learnt to be strong and survive in the world alone.
The song’s beats ebbs and flows with so much intensity showcasing Maggie’s thoughts on her battle between accepting and surrendering herself to the term strong, and understanding that being strong can also mean being soft and vulnerable.
“My whole life people have called me strong, and I always felt like it was a term that people used to excuse their behaviour towards me. Like, oh she’s strong so she can handle it. I hated it,”
“‘Strong Srey’ is about the journey of me finally accepting that being strong can also be liberating. That the term ‘strong’ isn’t a bad thing, it can also mean being resilient and also understanding that just because I am strong doesn’t mean I can’t be soft either. The vocals on the song say ‘the right path’ and I really feel like I am heading into the right direction now,”
The single for the video sees Maggie running to liberation, it was filmed by her sister Thavy Tra and is a teaser to her upcoming debut introspective album ‘Kingdom of Her’ slated for release 21st September 2022, the album is also available on vinyl.
Following what’s already been a successful run for the multi-talented artist, Maggie’s infamous debut EP ‘U.L.A’ brought the emerging producer to the forefront where she was featured on DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, Bandcamp, Mixmag Asia, NTS and Worldwide FM. She’s released singles with labels FuFu Records, Shika Shika Collective & Juba’s Assurance Compilation.
With music as her home, Maggie is also the founder of music label & collective SYS Sister Sounds which aims to release music from Asian female and non-binary music producers. Her persistence to fight for equality and to provide a platform for emerging Asian artists’ stand with the time is unsurpassed.
A weaver of musical fibres, her creations entwine melody, genres and tempos to create her own tapestries.
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