Welcome to Singers on the Front Lines, an interview series with singers using the power of music to promote wellbeing, social justice and offer support and empowerment to vulnerable communities.

In this 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 - 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.