Study Buddy (Explorer): Is this Cambodian princess the next Blackpink’s Lisa?

[2] Jenna was born in 2012 to Princess Norodom Bophary and a French businessman. She is the great-granddaughter of Cambodia’s former King Norodom Sihanouk, who lived in China for decades and called the mainland his “second home”. She is fluent in five languages: her native Khmer, Thai, Chinese, English and French.

[3] Despite her tender age, Jenna is a talented singer, dancer and actress. She has uploaded covers of songs in five languages over the past five years on her YouTube channel, which now has 913,000 followers. In 2022, she signed with K’ve Entertainment, a K-pop entertainment agency in Cambodia, and wowed many with her dance cover of Blackpink’s Pretty Savage and Aespa’s Next Level. Jenna also released a song, You Da One, with her labelmate Bobo in 2022.

[4] South Korean media outlet YTN reported Jenna saying she loved K-pop songs and dances, calling the genre “modern and unique” and the songs “bright, dynamic and fun”.

[5] However, as the rumour of her becoming a K-pop trainee spread, the princess responded from her official Weibo account on October 15, stating that she had rejected the South Korean agency that invited her to become a trainee. “Jenna has not, does not, and will not become a K-pop trainee in South Korea,” the message said. It added that she was very fond of music but would prioritise her studies and a career that benefits the Cambodian people.

[6] Jenna previously said her plan in music was to prepare for her first Chinese album. She performed several songs in Khmer and Chinese this year on a broadcast of China Central Television’s The Beauty of Shared Arts, which invited artists from countries of the Belt and Road Initiative to show their talent and culture. Jenna also performed Missing China, a song composed by King Norodom Sihanouk. She received a warm welcome from the Chinese audience. Her Weibo account gained 220,000 fans when it launched in September.

[7] The last young member of the Cambodian royal family that went viral in China was 1997-born Princess Norodom Ponsoriya, an aunt of Jenna, who completed her bachelor’s degree at China’s University of International Business and Economics in 2020.

Source: South China Morning Post, October 18

1. In paragraph 1, which two K-pop idols has Jenna been compared to?___________________________________________________

2. Why did Cambodia’s former King Norodom Sihanouk call China his “second home”?______________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Which language is Jenna the least fluent in according to paragraph 2?
A. Chinese
B. French
C. Thai
D. None of the above

4. Find a word in paragraph 3 that means “young”.
___________________________________________________

5. Decide whether the following statements based on paragraph 3 are True, False or the Information is Not Given. Fill in ONE circle only for each statement. (4 marks)
(i) Jenna can sing, dance and act.
(ii) She has been singing professionally for 10 years.
(iii) She has more than 90,000 followers on her YouTube channel.
(iv) She started learning K-pop dances in 2022.

6. What do the “rumours” in paragraph 5 refer to?
___________________________________________________

7. Why did Jenna reject the South Korean agency’s offer?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Which song from paragraph 6 was created by someone related to Jenna?
___________________________________________________

9. What do the performers mentioned in paragraph 6 have in common?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Blackpink’s Lisa and (G)I-DLE’s Minnie
2. He lived in the country for decades.
3. D
4. tender
5. (i) T; (ii) F; (iii) T; (iv) NG
6. Jenna becoming a K-pop trainee.
7. She wanted to prioritise her studies and a career that benefits the Cambodian people.
8. Missing China
9. They are from countries of the Belt and Road Initiative.