Darko C
— S I N G E R S O N T H E F R O N T L I N E S —
Singers on the Front Lines is a series of interviews with singers working to promote wellbeing, social justice, and sharing the gift of song with vulnerable communities. Subscribe (below) to receive notifications of future posts.
In this inaugural podcast episode, I interview a creative maverick from Myanmar, Darko C. Darko’s the lead singer for the Indie Rock band, Side Effect, and is also the Director of Turning Tables Myanmar - a global social enterprise working to empower marginalized youth by giving them constructive ways to express themselves through music and film - their hopes, fears and frustrations. Darko and his musical compatriots have lived through massive social changes over the past 15 years, as Myanmar (also known as Burma) has shifted from a military dictatorship to a hybrid model of government with many aspects now turned over to civilian control. Darko shares with us his thoughts on music’s role in culture shift, and the creativity needed to express yourself in a less-than-free environment.
Voices of the Youth Workshop at Turning Tables (Yangon, Myanmar)
Darko C of Side Effect (Yangon, Myanmar)
Darko C, lead singer for the band, Side Effect, and Director of Turning Tables Myanmar
“It might sound like my religion, because the way I believe in the power of music is not just a form or physical experience. But a spiritual experience, too, because I really, really believe that we are just vibration . . . It’s a human thing, we’re not just wasting our time. I mean, just because it doesn’t create a lot of money or a lot of profit doesn’t mean it’s not a valuable thing. It’s a universal language.”
LINKS
Click here to see a transcript of this interview.