Climate1 min read

‘Music is the most powerful way of connecting to what’s happening’: can this album change your mind about the climate crisis?

By · Via The Guardian Environment · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The collective, featuring artists from nations such as Brazil, Zimbabwe, and the UK, seeks to build emotional connections to ecological issues that data alone cannot convey. Tracks on the record span deep climate anxiety, highlighted by singer Charlotte Church, to grassroots victories against commercial development recited by Maxine Peake. The album also doubles as the official soundtrack for a documentary chronicling frontline environmental defenders, including Brazilian Amazonian teacher Márcia Mura.

Key points

  • Flow unites international female musicians to translate dry ecological data into an emoti…: Flow unites international female musicians to translate dry ecological data into an emotional catalyst for environmental action.
  • The collaborative project addresses both deep climate grief and the tangible triumphs pos…: The collaborative project addresses both deep climate grief and the tangible triumphs possible through determined community resistance.
  • Prominent artists from multiple countries are actively coordinating their music releases…: Prominent artists from multiple countries are actively coordinating their music releases with major global diplomatic climate summits.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Amid tense and long-winded negotiations, and with the future of the planet at stake, emotions can often run high at Cop climate summits. But last year, when the annual conference arrived in Brazil, one UN official was unexpectedly moved to tears by five women singing about the power of water.

“She gave me a massive hug after the event and said, ‘We need to bring music into Cop,’” says Nikita Llerena, the project manager for Flow, a music collective that’s hoping to bring art to the centre of the climate movement. What started as a handful of musicians meeting over Zoom last year has grown into a full-length album that unites female artists from around the world, including Charlotte Church, Maxine Peake and Nadine Shah. This month, members of the collective will return for Cop31, in Turkey, where they have been promoted to a slot at Global Cultural Action’s opening event.

“We are moving beyond awareness,” says Llerena. “Cop is now starting to realise the importance of art and culture to bring the climate debate forward. We can reach levels…

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