Niko Martin is the creative identity of Dario Sinožić, a musician from Istria, Croatia. He spent years on stage as a lead vocalist, keyboardist and drummer, until social anxiety made public performance increasingly difficult in the early 2000s. Today he openly uses AI as an instrument, while directing the message, lyrics and artistic decisions himself. His song “Send Your Own Sons”, which we featured as an official lyric video, draws on the slow, atmospheric progressive and psychedelic rock of the 1970s. In this interview he talks about the song’s origins, the person behind the name, and what comes next.
EV: The title "Send Your Own Sons" reads like a direct challenge. What sparked the song, and who did you have in mind when you wrote those words?
Niko Martin: I've always struggled with the way wars are discussed by people who will never personally experience their consequences. Politicians talk about borders, patriotism, sacrifice and victory, while ordinary families are left to bury their children.
The title is deliberately uncomfortable. It's a question directed at anyone who believes that sending someone else's son or daughter to war is an acceptable price to pay.
One line probably captures everything I wanted to say: "No flag can warm an empty bed. No speech can wake the dead."
For me, this isn't about choosing political sides. It's about remembering the human beings behind the headlines.
EV: You signed your email as Dario, and the project goes by Niko Martin. How did the name Niko Martin come about, and what does it let you express that your own name might not?
Niko Martin: My name is Dario Sinožić, and Niko Martin is the creative identity behind my music.
I wanted the music to have its own recognizable identity, something that could grow beyond me personally. Niko is not an attempt to pretend that an AI voice belongs to a real human singer. I've always been open about the technology behind the project.
But there's also something personal about having that separation. I've lived with severe social anxiety for many years, and expressing myself publicly hasn't always been easy.
Through Niko Martin, I can put my thoughts, emotions and stories into the world without having to stand in the spotlight myself.
In a strange way, this virtual artist has helped me become more myself.
EV: Take us inside the making of "Send Your Own Sons": how did it go from first idea to finished recording, and who helped shape its sound along the way?
Niko Martin: Everything began with the message. I wanted the words to carry the weight of the song, rather than hide behind a powerful arrangement.
The writing and creative development involved AI assistance, but I directed the message, shaped the lyrics and made the artistic decisions.
Musically, I wanted something reminiscent of the progressive and psychedelic rock of the 1970s. Slow, atmospheric, almost hypnotic. Acoustic guitars, Hammond organ, deep bass, restrained drums and a haunting male vocal.
I used Suno to develop the musical interpretation, exploring the possibilities until I found something that felt right.
There wasn't a conventional band or a recording studio full of musicians. AI generated the performances, but the creative direction, decisions and final selection were mine.
I see AI as an instrument that allows me to realize musical ideas I couldn't otherwise bring to life in this form.
EV: You released the song as a lyric video, which puts every word on screen. Why did that format feel right for this track, and what did you want viewers to notice as the lines appear?
Niko Martin: Because I wanted people to listen to the words, not just the music.
"Send Your Own Sons" isn't a song that needs spectacular images, explosions or dramatic battle scenes. We already see enough of those.
I wanted something more intimate and restrained, allowing each line to stay with the listener for a moment.
When someone reads "No flag can warm an empty bed," I hope they stop thinking about politics and start thinking about a mother, a father, or someone waiting for a loved one who will never return.
Sometimes the simplest images leave the deepest impression.
EV: Where do you come from, and what music did you grow up around? How do those roots show up in the songs you write today?
Niko Martin: I come from Istria, Croatia, and music has been part of my life since childhood.
For many years, I performed as a lead vocalist and played keyboards and drums, both as a solo performer and in a duo. I spent a significant part of my life on stage, until the early 2000s, when social anxiety made public performances increasingly difficult.
I grew up surrounded by different musical styles, but classic rock, progressive rock and the sounds of the 1970s left a particularly strong impression on me.
Those years of performing gave me a practical understanding of music, from melodies and arrangements to rhythm and emotional expression.
Today, I bring that experience into Niko Martin. The tools have changed, but my musical instincts, influences and passion for creating music remain the same.
EV: Writing about something as heavy as sending young people off to fight takes a certain conviction. What drives you to put subjects like this into your music rather than keeping them to yourself?
Niko Martin: Perhaps because I've spent too much of my own life keeping things to myself.
Living with social anxiety teaches you how easily silence can become a habit. There are thoughts, feelings and things you wish you could say, but somehow the words never come out.
Music has always been one of the few places where I felt genuinely free.
AI music has given me back a part of that freedom. It has allowed me to express things that matter deeply to me, even though performing publicly is no longer something I can comfortably do.
I don't pretend to have all the answers about war, politics or human nature. But I believe we should never stop questioning decisions that cause suffering.
If a song makes even one person stop and think about the human cost of war, then those words were worth writing.
EV: What comes next for Niko Martin after "Send Your Own Sons", and which songs, plans or directions are you most eager to share?
Niko Martin: "Send Your Own Sons" was just the beginning.
My next single, "Freedom Is Coming", takes a different musical direction, with an atmospheric, 1980s-inspired synth-pop sound, but it carries the same belief in human dignity and hope.
I've also been developing a wider collection of songs exploring war, loss, freedom and the consequences of decisions made by those in power.
But Niko Martin isn't only about protest songs. I'm also creating music about love, family, growing older, missed opportunities and the little things that make us human. I'm exploring songs in Croatian and Italian as well.
I don't want to be confined to one genre. What matters most to me is the story behind each song.
And on a personal level, I'm simply grateful to be creating music again.
For someone who once felt that an important part of his life had slipped away, that means more than any number of streams or followers ever could.
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