Our Earth is in crisis. What can each of us do about it? The answer is simple: pick one helpful thing, and start doing it.
But which thing to choose? Through 16 songs, the new children’s album My Earth Songs offers ideas about the many ways that people can combat the climate crisis. The catchy tracks, which are vibrantly rendered by award-winning artists from around the world, were inspired by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. They address topics such as recycling, reducing pollution, decreasing carbon footprints, increasing food security, and preserving animal habitats.
The album captures the magic of this summer’s My Earth Songs Virtual Live Concert, a global initiative with Vivendi to benefit UNICEF COVID-19 relief for children worldwide. It was the biggest ever virtual concert for children – a massive hit with over 25 million viewers in 75 countries. The concert was spearheaded by Grammy-nominated American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lonnie Park, who is the primary artist/front person of the Earth Band; and Grammy-winning composer / United Nations Global Humanitarian Artist Ricky Kej.
Like the concert, My Earth Songs includes an impressive roster of international Grammy-winners. In addition to Kej and Park, the album features legendary Senegalese singer Baaba Maal (voice of the Academy Award-winning Black Panther movie soundtrack), US family musicians Lucy Kalantari and Jon Samson, South African flutist Wouter Kellerman, two-time Grammy winner Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea; and Global Music Award winning Indian bassist and composer Dominic D’Cruz. Grammy-nominated Canadian flutist Ron Korb, a longtime collaborator of Kej and Park, was also invited to join the project after performing in concerts with them in the summers of 2017 and 2018. “Lonnie and I are huge fans of all of these fantastic artists,” enthuses Kej.”I was thrilled to have an opportunity to work with all of them.”
And the calibre of talent on the album speaks volumes about the artists’ respect for children – as people who deserve a high-quality, thought-provoking musical experience, and as citizens who are themselves capable of making consequential changes to counter the climate crisis. “It has been said that we do not inherit this world from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children,” notes Kej. So “to create a more socially inclusive and environmentally conscious society, we have to start the conversation early, with children.” My Earth Songs has opened a meaningful front for that dialogue: the album’s songs already appear in over 5 million schoolbooks, and have been recognised and honoured by the United Nations in Bonn, Germany for their innovation, creativity and outreach.
According to a recent report by UNESCO, over 850 million children and youth have at times been forced to stay out of school and miss classes worldwide due to the ongoing pandemic. School systems around the world are struggling to provide uninterrupted learning for children, which is affecting a critical part of their lives. Kej has always believed music to be a powerful tool to implant messages in the minds of the listener. With this intent, he and Park organized the online concert so children could continue to learn while simultaneously experiencing meaningful entertainment.
The concert and the album sprang from years of musical activism. Winning the Grammy Award in 2015 compelled and inspired Kej to dedicate his life and his music to the sole cause of Environmental Consciousness. Since then, all of his music has been about the environment and raising awareness on climate change. Both he and Park believe that it is only when people acknowledge an issue and start a dialogue to solve that a solution can emerge. Through their performances, they present a dual approach to climate consciousness. Their “Top Down Approach” has them performing to audiences of World Leaders, decision-makers and prominent dignitaries to urge them to create stronger policies to tackle environmental issues and health issues.” Their “Ground Up Approach” brings their music to hundreds of thousands of the general public, in order to raise awareness of these issues. In Korb’s view, children are the future and hope for the planet. And in his experience, children are also very honest: “they either are totally mesmerized or bored beyond belief, so making music for them has particular challenges.” Kej concurs, and notes that young audiences are more receptive and keen on finding solutions to change the way our societies function.
When listening to My Earth Songs, it is almost impossible to detect that it was produced at the height of the pandemic shutdown. Each artist recorded their part at home. The videos provide a glimpse into each artist’s space, and show them performing on their own; however, the overall effect is one of seamless cohesion. Kej admits that the experience was “definitely not what the musicians are used to. Everything was done virtually because of the lockdown.” But the two are grateful that today’s technology makes it possible to bring artists together even when they are apart, and encourages producers to invite performers from any part of the world. As illustration, Korb explains, “I was able to record my tracks in Toronto, and Lonnie was able to combine them with tracks from Ricky in India and Jon in Brooklyn, NY.”
Still, the distanced collaboration could not replicate the audience energy that performing artists feed off in a concert. “Performing online deprives us of this,” admits Kej, though “arenas always have physical limitations. With virtual concerts, the whole world is our playground.” Kej wondered how “we would all be able to keep our energy and momentum high, as there is absolutely no feedback from the audience coming through.” But the artists’ thorough enjoyment shone through: “The end result turned out much more beautifully than I could ever imagine. I enjoyed this experience thoroughly!”
The massive audience for My Earth Songs Virtual Live Concert and the influence of young climate activists like Greta Thunberg suggest that young people are more future-focused than ever before. Greening the planet and living sustainably continue to be among their top priorities. So with the holiday season unfolding during this time of continued fear, deprivation and uncertainty, the uplifting My Earth Songs album is a seasonally welcome beacon of renewal and promise. Its message of hope and spirit of possibility – anchored in that one simple, significant, repeated action that we can all take – may strengthen our ministrations to our planet in crisis . . . and our family music collections.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2020
