Kenyan vocalist Bien Aime Baraza has joined an elite roster of international stars, including Ellie Goulding, Hozier, and Aurora, in a global music initiative that has so far raised $400,000 (Sh52 million) for environmental conservation.
English singer Ellie Goulding.
Photo credit: File | AFP
The project, known as Sounds Right, is a music programme under the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live.
Launched in 2024, its mission is to celebrate the value of nature and inspire millions of fans to take action for the planet. The initiative aims to raise $40 million (Sh5 billion) by 2027 through music collaborations that merge art, culture, and conservation.
Sounds Right’s innovative approach turns nature itself into a recording artist, simply called NATURE, allowing musicians to share royalties from songs that feature sounds of the natural world.
The funds go directly toward protecting ecosystems and supporting Indigenous communities in biodiversity-rich regions.
During the 2024 launch, Kenya’s Blinky Bill was the only African artist chosen to collaborate with NATURE.
Bien Aime-Baraza of Sauti Sol band performs during Sol Fest concert at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi on November 4, 2023.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
A year later, the circle has widened with Bien Aime now joining the global line-up alongside Ellie Goulding, Aurora, Bomba Estéreo, and even a remastered collaboration from David Bowie x Brian Eno.
Africa is also represented by Juls and Olivetheboy from Ghana, Lady Donli from Nigeria, and Phila Dlozi from South Africa.
Last year, Blinky Bill’s contribution, ‘Kata Matin’ featuring NATURE reimagined a classic Luo gospel tune blending traditional roots with a modern pulse.
“Kata Matin is an old Luo gospel song that’s been passed down for generations. What draws me to it is how the melody lifts your spirit when sung in the village. I wanted to give it a contemporary feel, to place it in the here and now.” Blinky said.
As the world gears up for COP30 in Brazil, besides those selected, Sounds Right has opened its doors to musicians everywhere, inviting them to collaborate with NATURE and contribute to the cause.
Through the platform, artists can create songs infused with sounds from forests, oceans, rivers, or wildlife.
Once uploaded to major streaming platforms, royalties from each track are split 50:50 between the artist and NATURE, with NATURE’s share funnelled into the Sounds Right Fund to finance conservation projects.
To streamline distribution, Sounds Right has partnered with global music distributor DistroDirect, handling worldwide releases and ensuring artists’ music reaches the widest possible audience.
Since its inception last year, over 26 million listeners across 181 countries have streamed NATURE’s collaborations, generating $400,000 in royalties. The proceeds are funding projects in the Amazon and Congo Basin, following $225,000 previously directed to conservation efforts in the Tropical Andes in 2024.
In the Congo Basin, the fund is empowering Indigenous and local communities to protect endangered species, restore ecosystems, and weave storytelling and sustainable enterprise into conservation efforts.
Gabriel Smales, Global Programme Director of Sounds Right – UN Live, says the idea behind the initiative is to harness the influence of artists to restore nature’s place in culture.
“For the first time, we’re giving artists a platform to help bring nature back into popular culture while directing new royalties to frontline conservation. Nature has been disappearing from our stories, our songs, even our films and that cultural loss deepens the disconnect between people and the planet.”
Katja Iversen, CEO of the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, believes that creativity and culture can drive the collective awakening the planet needs.
“Popular culture like music has the power to reach millions, ignite empathy, and spark real change. In a world where many feel their actions don’t matter, this is about meeting people where they already are — on their screens and in their earbuds — with messages that inspire action and hope,” she notes.
