Episode #159: The Harmony of David Lai
“As soon as the coup started, the first thing in my mind was how we, the people of Myanmar, had lost our future, and are going back to old times, which weren't good.”
This was David Lai’s initial feeling in February, 2021. While the sudden military takeover impacted all fifty-five million people living in the country, David’s situation was more complex than most—he is a public figure, a sort of soft-rock/country rock singer with a large following.
Growing up a Chin Christian in a missionary household, David’s parents recognized his musical prowess at a young age. Singing gospel hymns at churches, he won a competition in India, which launched his career. Influenced by Myo Gyi in Myanmar and John Mayer in the US, he began to refine his craft, and was well on his way to Burmese pop superstardom when the coup hit.
Burmese artists of all backgrounds viewed the transition years as a kind of Golden Age, in which creativity of expression was finally permitted (even if in only small doses). “Before that, if you said bad things about the leaders, it was not good for you. Because you might go to jail if the leaders or if the authorities don't like it.” David saw the impact of this increased freedom affecting not only the artists, but also the wider community. “It could bring peace. It could bring an improvement in the environment.”
So when the coup hit, Myanmar’s elite class of celebrities and influencers had to choose between their professional career and their safety. Some chose to speak out—perhaps most notably the model Paing Takhon, who was later arrested for his courageous stance. Others kept silent on the developing political crisis while still attempting to advance their careers; a handful openly supported the military.
Like Paing Takhon, David chose to speak out for the democracy movement, writing songs in support. This stance endangered his safety, requiring an urgent escape to India. Still, he is sympathetic for those celebrities who balked at taking such drastic action. “We all know that there are people or artists that who… keep silent. I can't blame them.”
For David, singing is a natural outlet for expressing his feelings about the moment. “Music is like a universal language,” he notes. “Like you don't need to literally understand the lyrics, you can just feel the music; it can bring us together.”
The potential for music to bring diverse communities together has been an important focus of David’s post-coup work. Growing up a Chin Christian, a minority in both religion and ethnicity, he has been more than aware of how the military has used these divisions to sow mistrust among the people over the years. From his own personal experience, he recalls his difficulties fitting into Bamar Buddhist environments at a young age. “I'm like an alien! Like a different person from them. I didn’t know the language. I couldn’t speak Burmese that time. And the students were like, ‘Wow, he's like from another country!”
This struggle for acceptance didn’t in any way turn David bitter; rather, for him it underscores the importance of the current moment. “This military coup made us united!” he explains. “Diversity is a beauty. These differences in culture and tribes are a beauty.”
David has collaborated with a number of other musicians from other ethnicities, and produced songs he hope will uplift the people during this difficult time. The resulting music is well- produced and high quality, while conveying an important political message.
“These days, my feeling changes,” he says. “As professionals, we're always busy with technique in music ideas, and so we barely care about the feeling.” But these days, he finds himself also becoming deeply moved and inspired by his own songs. “It's not that I give motivation to the audience by singing,” he acknowledges. “I need motivation too.”
Despite the current difficulties, David firmly believes he is on the right side of history. "We will win, eventually. It might take longer than we expected. But we have to keep in mind that if we don't fight till the end today, it will bring us back to the time that we lost our freedom. We already experience the taste of freedoms about for five years. And we know that we don't want to lose it again. Everyone has our own role. As a musician, as an artist, I have my own role, I can help or I can support.”