Pop stars band together for Suu Kyi
Bands U2, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, Sting, REM, Travis, Indigo Girls and Matchbox Twenty and several top artistes including Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton will launch an album on October 26 dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi.
'Anytime anyone inside Burma listens to my music, I want them to know that they are listening to an artiste that supports their freedom,' said Clapton, the quintessential blues guitarist, using Myanmar's previous name.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The album, entitled For The Lady: Dedicated to freeing Aung San Suu Kyi and the courageous people of Burma, will be released by Rhino Records. Proceeds from the sale of the double CD featuring 27 tracks will benefit the non-profit group US Campaign For Burma, comprising activists around the world seeking an end to the military dictatorship in the impoverished nation.
The album will feature exclusive numbers by REM, Pearl Jam, Tom Morello's The Nightwatchman, Damien Rice, Lili Hadyn and Better Than Ezra as well as previously released tunes by Lavigne, Coldplay, Bright Eyes and Travis. It also features a song banned by Myanmar's military regime, Walk On, which U2 dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi on their last album and a song in Myanmarese written by jailed student activist Min Ko Naing.
Myanmar's military rulers have detained Aung San Suu Kyi for over a year. They have also clamped down on her National League for Democracy party for its relentless push for democratic reforms in Myanmar.