Naing Myanmar

Naing Myanmar (Burmese: နိုင်မြန်မာ; born 1956/1957) is a Burmese musician notable for writing "Kabar Ma Kyay Buu" (Burmese: ကမ္ဘာမကြေဘူး), a protest song used during Myanmar's 8888 Uprising and again throughout the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.

Naing Myanmar was called "one of the Southeast Asian nation's most prominent musicians" by the BBC. In 2021, there was an Internet hoax that Naing Myanmar died after battling COVID-19. Although he had contracted COVID-19 while also suffering from coronary heart disease, Naing Myanmar survived.

Niang Myanmar has collaborated with artists such as May Kha Lar. In 2023, Naing Myanmar's son Byu Har, a notable hip-hop artist, was arrested for criticizing the government of Myanmar.

Songwriting

Naing Myanmar's most well known song is "Kabar Ma Kyay Buu", composed to evoke the memory of historical Burmese martyrs and inspire contemporary protestors. It specifically references Ko Taw Hmaing and Thakin Aung San. The song is a copy thachin of "Dust in the Wind" by the American band Kansas. The song's title is variably translated as "We Won't Be Satisfied Until the End of the World", "The World Will Not End", "The World Is Unforgiving", and "Until the End of the World".

Naing Myanmar wrote the song when he was 30 years old. It was performed with the help of 13 additional student singers and three guitars. The song was disseminated using cassette tapes hand delivered to protest locations. Leaders such as Ko Ko Gyi have cited the song as being inspirational to the 8888 movement. The song has become an anthem of anti-coup protests and embodies revolutionary motifs such as lyrics about blood and the formerly-banned words "revolution" and "democracy.