Zaw Win Shein

One of a few drummers who break through to be famous as a vocalist is Zaw Win Shein. I heard someone in Yin mar recording said how well his skills in drumming. I overheard a casual conversation stating that he is the best drummer at that time.

He looks always cool and conservative all the time. Big eye glasses are his style. I noticed him with the song "Little silver moon"; the original song title is "Only you". Even until now, it is my favorite song although he is more well known for the songs for "Rosie".

His voice is clear and sharp. I like the clearness of his voice. He is not very a passionate singer but he sings the songs very beautifully and perfectly. Listening to his songs, I felt it is flawless --- but may be because of his conservative nature, he doesn't want to show the deeper side of his heart.

I am not a die hard fan but took notice of his effort in breaking the barrier of a famous vocalist from a drummer. Somehow, it seems to be that drummers have to give up drum when they become vocalist. However, he plays drum a lot of the time while he is performing and I like that kind of performance --- something refreshing and original.

He dressed up very formally in performances. If he wears traditional outfits, he wore proper tike-pone and yaw long-gyi. If he wears western style, it is a full suit. I cannot remember seeing him a T shirt or a jean. His styles are very conservative but it suits him very well.

Saung Oo Hlaing

When he came out brilliantly as a vocalist with "Your Hero-lover"album --- I even loved the commercial --- the long hair girl and a jeep --- fast, catchy, and romantic. I was one of those who went and bought that album first and listened really hard through day and night. "Min Ye" is the song from that album used for the commercial and it is my favorite song in that album. I anticipated so much for the second album --- but life changing events come up in my life ---I couldn't listen to new Burmese releases for quite a while.

When I hear his singing again --- it was in 19:18 and I was fallen in love with Burmese songs again. It was a really nice pairing with Alex and Sithu Lwin. The first song of that album was my favorite. Every winter break from college, driving back from the dorm to home on a long road trip; blasting that song right after the stressful finals are so memorable in my life.

He lived in Yankin and I was around Yankin a lot of time but we never come across. Our well known senior --- we even had the same tutor at college. I have heard a lot about him how much he is into music and all that. I am glad to see him doing what he loves the most.

His vocal is powerful at times. He has a unique voice but not very emotional. I love that fact that he is trying to have own tunes. He can write songs very well but not very playful --- most lyrics are very straight forward. His songs are very listenable but somehow he cannot seem to escape from his signature notes. I support him for his effort although I would not listen to his new songs repeatedly like the very first album or 19:18 album.

I enjoyed "Our Gita Yetwon" (I am not so sure the title) song for it's honesty. I think I watched his "20 years music journey" --- but do not remember much to comment on. Awww --- I also heard that he was coaching the girls' group (I am not too sure. I don't even remember which group --- I just remember that their vocals are sort of weak).

He is dark. He is thin. He loves keyboard. He almost always wear caps. He is tall. He must be kind too --- one can hear in his voice. I wonder what he is up to now?

Listen here:
19:18 song www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7GTy5exMu8&feature=related
Min Ye: www.myanmarmp3.net/album.aspx?AlbumID=364

Phyo Gyi

Phyo Gyi was one of the new comers that I did recognized not for his vocal quality but again --- for his passionate singing. The very first time I saw him was with May Sweet doing a duet of an old song something about flying against the wind love song ( I guess it was L Koon Yee and Pb Than Naing song). That song instantly grabbed my attention. I thought --- wow! --- he sings his heart out although his little "wooh!" was not too confident. I read in a magazine about his interview --- about his surgery when he was young. His voice is sort of cracked and lacking at times but his passion is so appealing that we can forgive.

After that song, I have heard him sing here --- there. It was good but nothing break through into my head to wanting to listen again and again until that ridiculous wedding.

Yes, my weakness and lethal flaw is that being too opinionated and judgemental. I have never seen any wedding as big of an advertising campaign than his wedding with one of the most annoying actresses of that time. I asked why? Gosh! Why it has to be her?

While I was highly annoyed by the wedding campaign --- I watched his wedding special song album over and over again. The songs are catchy --- fun to listen. I liked that album as I put in my easy listening list.

I haven't listen any Burmese songs since after that time --- just recently I saw a couple of his songs on you tube. He looks much thinner and older now (I am sorry for the criticism). I am very sad to see him getting thinner. I heard that he is divorced now??? I am not sure --- but the incident was not very pretty.

I wish I can write more about him but I don't know much about him. I think he has a good heart though. May be he needs to hang out with good friends, think only about music and do really good albums since he has a potential. I wish you the best.

Listen song here:
www.musicvideos.com/watch-phyo-gyi-sone-thin-par-kyal-pyout-nya/1ppcYA4Saso.html

Hlwan Moe

How can my experience of Burmese Music Industry be complete without Hlwan Moe? With his kick ass attitude and heart warming voice, he has influenced our love of Burmese music in so many different ways. We were grown up with singing loving Ma Aye which even made me wonder how real Ma Aye would look like.

Do I like Hlwan Moe a lot?? I am not sure --- I do not not listening his songs. There are times that his songs could be annoying to me --- on the other hand, there are times that I couldn't stop listening his songs. My personal response to his songs are on the two ends of the extreme. There is no mediocre Hlwan Moe songs that I can listen to. There is only two types: I love them or I hate them.

Of course, his golden days are the time of "Moe-sat-tin-lay" album release. I bought that album and listen to it a thousand times a day. In that album, the song called "Pency" (Did I spell it right? No idea) --- which is claimed to be "Moh Moh Myint Aung" is the "Pency" in that song. Hlwan Moe and Moh Moh lived together for a long time long before Moh Moh was oh so famous. He made fun of her fame and literally impersonate her into lower than a dog in a very cute way, the way which made me cracked up every time I listen to that song (as you might know, I dislike Moh Moh Myint Aung a lot for all her faking).

"This is how it goes in our neighborhood" is also one of the first songs you can hear on album which can make me feel like Thinn-gyan time (Burmese new year) when we were used to be forgiven to make fun of the affairs of how things are generally going on in our everyday lives. Not any more. Nothing is forgiven anymore these days because we are using our strength of forgiveness on the general morality of everyday life which has become lower than ever. We cannot think for goodness of other people's daughter as if our own daughters because we are even selling off our own daughters for the sake of money, power, or for basic surviving. Why am I becoming too opinionated? Aww shuck! I do not want to leave this world like Hlwan Moe --- too sudden, too tragic, too reckless, too dramatic, too unfairly sad that no one want to talk about how he left this world in a road rage traffic accident. Why would I want to talk about it since it is just too helplessly sad? In some ways, it made me feel that he left us in a Hlwan Moe style.

Listen here:
"Moe Set Tin Lay" www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5YB0o5HkPY&feature=related
"Ma Aye Ko Chit Lo Par"www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6VT1H4_KzA&feature=related

J Nyi Nyi

It was hard to decide to pick between J Mg Mg and J Nyi Nyi --- chronological order or preference. It was just a lottery and J Nyi Nyi won. Who do I like better? I just cannot decide that one either.

What do I like about J Nyi Nyi? It is his passionate singing although Khine Htoo is the one who can express passion the most ( my opinion). He has some of his own style and originality in terms of singing and style. The day when we met on the lower Bar St, he was wearing weathered light blue jeans and a light white cotton down shirt with about 4 button down. I saw a little dragon wooden sculpture tied with a worn out string around his neck. It was a very brief moment but why do I have such a vivid memory like I remember the fragrance of a rose petal? I thought the pendent was charming and even thinking to get one for myself and actually bought one --- just that, never happened to wear it until now.

J Nyi Nyi is the memories of Mandalay summer nights. In a light heat of the night, groups of Mandalar guitar groups love to cover J Nyi Nyi's song all night long until I would getting tired of it. But, that is how I started playing J Nyi Nyi's songs on my hollow guitar without actually listening to his records. His songs are mostly country style with the catchy phrases. Somehow, I thought he has either good luck with "Rain" songs ( songs related to the rain) or he just have a really good deep connected feeling with the rain.

The first song that captured my attention was not one of his well known songs like "A Chit Moe" or "De Moe", it was "Let it be my luck"--- for some reason, I loved that song. The second song that came to me was "I'll just be single" (Lupyogyi-pe-lout-taw-me). I love his playful singing and it's teasing lyrics. It could always make one smile.

He is a nice person who loves music a lot --- is my impression. He loves to sing more than being famous but at a point he seems really wanted to be famous. I saw it in his eyes when his new poster for "Swere" record came out. I still love to listen his songs time to time but still wondering why he is too thin forever. Do I know why or I really do not know why? I love the fact that he plays guitar when he sing most of the time.

Listen J Nyi Nyi here:
"Let it be my luck" www.youtube.com/watch?v=70PUCujxFOY
"I'll just be Single" www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_uu5K70pZI

Tu Tu

Tu Tu is one of the most charismatic artists during his hay days. There are so many things about Tu Tu that I don't even know where to start. Everyone was singing "bad girl, I love you more because you are such a bad ass ----" (kidding). Yes, it is the song that bring him to the teenagers. High pitch voice with nice voice handling --- and a good choice of pop, soft rock copy songs let him shine like a star. Looking at his elder brothers and I thought this is the minimum vocal quality that he should have. He really had sort of charm with the girls who went nuts --- I have witnessed the cat fight for future Mrs. Tu Tu during my pre teen. Honey Tun was one of them ( I am sorry for naming names --- but hey Pe Pyote, I sometimes wonder where she is now). I have heard and met him in so many different ways for so many occasions that I cannot even feel like he is a rock star. Every time, I hear "Eyes of Tiger" somehow, always bring my memory to him. Not that I like that song either the original or the copy. I think "Kay-tha-ri" was the record I listened the most out of all his famous records. I have never been Tu Tu's fan. I have nothing against him except that I made fun of him because to me, he seems like more famous for his charisma than his songs and singing.
His style is easy ---almost always seen him with jeans, pants, t shirt and the shirts, nothing special. So, when I saw him with white Tite pine and Yaw pa-so on Myanmar television program, I even give a thought that he was sort of cute. The long bang right into the eyes hair style is called Tu Tu style back then. I don't think I can ever fall for a guy with a bang (my personal preference). Out of all those long list of girls, when he married his young wifey (back then lived in Yangon University housing), I was highly surprised. It never crossed my mind that he would settle for any time soon. There were rumors why he had to settle, but when I had a chance to talking to Tu Tu's father-in-law during one Thin-gyan in front of his lawn casually, --- I am not surprised anymore. Something click in my brain. Charisma cannot compete integrity after all.
Even though I have laughed at Tu Tu for as long as I can remember for his affairs, his bang, his height, etc, at the end --- when he took a hit to sacrifice his star status for the memories of RIT, I did applauded him. He was blocked from any public relations by you know who. No record allowed, no concert allowed, no TV appearances allowed, not even old TV appearances are allowed to air, not allowed on magazines, pretty much, he was cut by the cord by we know who. That is how his status has dimmed down, sadly. For this matter, I am thinking to re-collect all his songs and made a blog ( if I can manage to find time, which likely might never happen). At least, I have sincere thought.
I like almost all of his songs --- I mean in the original. Words and No thing's gonna change my love are the songs I listened most because of him. When I heard that he is going to come back with Myo Kyaw Myaing's song "Hlaing Hteit Htar Khin" by changing the lyrics into "Kar-yan-lay-a-thwin" --- I was highly anticipated. However, nothing really came out.
When I saw him again on stage, it was at Haymar Ne Win's coming back show. Chit Kaung was talking much about Tu Tu and Haymar old times --- wow, wow --- I miss out all those juicy gossips. It must be the time that I was becoming a book worm. Anyway, that was the last time I hear him sing --- still sounds like Tu Tu (the way he used to be, nothing changes much) of course except looks much grown up into adulthood. He doesn't look like one of those lost puppies anymore. May be more looking like an old legend of teenagers' heart breaker. Good luck with him in whatever career he chooses.

Listen song here:
Kay tha ri : www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuJrTRdA5Qw&feature=PlayList&p=CD45EDCE7C53A071&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=2
Thu (that person): www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsKqLp3AFZU&feature=related