‘INFECTED EMPIRE’: Mun Mun, MAEJR, and Burmese artists united in music and collective resistance

The song was composed and written by MAEJR, who also performs the second verse, together with the artist Zein, who co wrote the piece. The chorus features the voices of Mun Mun, Zein, and other Burmese artists and non-professional singers who remain inside Myanmar and are members of the Civil Disobedience Movement. For security reasons, these contributors cannot be named publicly.

The song seeks to convey the power of collective resistance, reflected in the way the project brings together Burmese people from different walks of life, united by a common goal of a democratic Myanmar.

The project surrounding the release of ‘INFECTED EMPIRE’ took five months to complete, reflecting the constraints faced by artists in Myanmar and those in exile when collaborating. During this period, recordings were gathered from participants in multiple locations, both inside the country and abroad, many of whom were working under very challenging conditions. Without access to professional recording studios, many contributors recorded their parts on mobile phones. Some audio files originated from liberated areas and remote regions, where unstable internet connections significantly delayed the transfer of files.

Despite these challenges, ‘INFECTED EMPIRE’ was released in March 2026. The timing is symbolically significant, as March marks the month during which the deadliest crackdowns on protesters occurred following the 2021 military coup. The song functions both as an act of remembrance and an act of resistance. It pays tribute to those who sacrificed everything in the struggle for democracy, despite the immense personal cost.

This intention is reflected from the very beginning of the song. The unedited opening audio features recordings from protests in Myanmar: chants from demonstrators followed by gunshots, underlining the lived experience of the Burmese people and the real consequences of dissent.

Myanmar: Freedom of Expression

The military coup of February 2021 destroyed Myanmar’s fragile reform process, which had been underway since 2011, and triggered nationwide protests known as the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Since then, the army and police have committed widespread human rights abuses against peaceful protesters, activists, journalists, independent commentators, artists, and other dissenting voices. Extensive surveillance has been used to suppress opposition, and the death penalty was reintroduced into use in July 2022.

The coup also fuelled armed resistance movements, which now control large swathes of the country. In July 2025, the military declared martial law and a state of emergency. Elections held subsequently were widely reported by human rights monitoring organisations as neither free, fair, nor inclusive. As a result, the environment for freedom of expression in Myanmar remains extremely hostile.