Yesterday Once More: Tracking (un) Popular Music in Contemporary Myanmar

The popular music genre known as copy thachin or “copy song” pervades the popular music scene in Myanmar. These songs are akin to cover versions of existing international hits, but performed and recorded by local musicians, with new lyrics in the Burmese language. The current situation for popular music production in Myanmar is connected with the country’s history of military rule and years of censorship and economic difficulties. Particularly during the strict censorship years, borrowing international songs allowed local artists to engage with global popular music, and the numerous popular musicians, songwriters and their massive fan base in Myanmar are testament to this. In recent years, with the removal of the stringent censorship regime and the expanding contact with international consumer culture, groups of Myanmar music fans are increasingly critical of copy thachin. Some claim the practice is culturally derivative and, particularly in light of increased international attention, a potential embarrassment. With greater access to the Internet, Myanmar music fans use social media sites to examine popular music, and share views about various musicians and genres. Making use of interview data with copy thachin performers, songwriters, and music fans, this paper will examine how Myanmar music fans express their dislike for copy thachin, and how this positions themselves and notions of musical taste in a cosmopolitan milieu.