Young musicians Wai Yan Oo and Yé Moe Oo play acoustic sets in Kandawgyi park every evening for visitors. Pic: Christopher Davy

THE evening at the Hmyaw Sin Kyun area in Kandawgyi Park is beautiful under the moonlight. For the unplugged musician Wai Yan Oo, every night at Hmyaw Sin Kyun is exactly the same whether it is a moonlit night or not. But it always means a lot to him.

At the heart of the area, there is a stage decorated with bright lights on top of a grassy mound. There, he and his fellow musicians perform an unplugged show, which is one of the entertainment programs organised by the park. You can find magic shows and elephant dance performances as well.

Everyday, their per-formance usually begins at 5pm with sunset. When the visitors in the park hear their mellow tunes from somewhere nearby, they follow the music and gather near the stage.

Some sit on the stairs leading down to the stage and enjoy the performance. Some parents listen to the songs while keeping a close eye on their children playing on the grass beside the stage. Everyone looks relaxed.

“Whenever I see that people look relaxed because of our performance, I’m pleased. So it’s a kind of pleasure for us because we entertain them to free them from stress and tension,” Wai Yan Oo enthuses while he is taking a break. The twenty year old has been working as an unplugged player since early 2007.

It wasn’t easy for Wai Yan Oo to get his job. He had to perform one month unpaid as a test. “During those days, I was nervous that I wouldn’t get the job and, of course, I feared the people watching around me as well. I only became permanent when I was given the encouragement of the audiences,” he says.

To perform his duty he has to play about 30 songs a night. Before he became used to this he had many sore throat nights.

“Here, we also meet with the audiences regularly. So, we have no fear of stage and audiences. If there are special events, a lot of people come to the front of the stage, which is full of people like in the big performances by famous singers,” Wai Yan Oo says remembering his happy moments.

“Very often, I got small gifts like dolls, bouquets of flowers and mugs from the fans. Though the gifts aren’t valuable, I love them as they show appreciation for my efforts.”

He also had unforgettable and unpleasant moments.

“Sometimes, the electricity goes out suddenly when we reach the climax of the performance. Sometimes, some drinkers disturb us. But I keep my temper and try to perform with smiles regardless of what happens to me. Besides which, they are my fans so I always forgive them.”

But he keeps playing regardless of disturbances. For amateur musicians like him, the job is a great opportunity to both earn and follow his dreams.

“We can show what we have within our heart as well as earn our living. When we sometimes sing our own tunes we find that people appreciate them and they inspire us to keep creating tunes. I’m really interested in music so I want to keep trying until I become a successful singer,” he says hopefully, “Maybe some producers will accidentally see our talent when they come here. Who knows our future?”

Another unplugged player Yé Moe Oo, 28, has also been chasing his dreams through playing acoustic melodies for the park-goers.

“Some of my friends used to perform there and they put me in contact to apply for the job. Before here, I worked for a construction company and it was a well paid job but I resigned. I think being an unplugged player is the best choice I’ve ever made and I’m able to earn while pursuing my dreams,” Yé Moe Oo says wiping the beads of sweat from his face after performing a song by famous rocker Myo Gyi.

In his one and a half year’s experience in playing acoustic music, he finds that people prefer it if they sing exactly like the famous singers.

“So, we normally sing hit songs and all time favourite songs. But we are free to indulge by singing with in our own style,” Yé Moe Oo says.

As they always sing, he adds that their minds are fresh and active even though he feels bored at times.

“Whenever I feel fed up, I inspire myself ‘you are relieving people from pressure with your music’ and try to focus again on what I am doing. Even if we drop with fatigue, we are free from all the tiredness when we see people enjoy our shows,” he says.

Accepting the applause of the audience, he believes the unplugged shows are well suited to the parks.

“People usually come to the parks for relaxation so this form of entertainment is very effective in removing stress,” he says.

With the growing popularity of unplugged shows Yé Moe Oo hopes more opportunities for him will be forthcoming in the future.