Anuv Jain ‘Sounds Right’: United Nations Launches Earth Day Initiative With Indian Artist
- Launched as the lead up to Earth Day, it recognizes the value of nature, raise funds for conservation and inspire millions of fans to take action.
The Museum for the United Nations-UN Live has launched “Sounds Right,” a global music initiative with Indian singer, songwriter and composer Anuv Jain. Launched on April 18 in the lead up to Earth Day (April 22), it recognizes “the value of nature, raise funds for conservation and inspire millions of fans to take action,” according to a UN Museum press release. The Museum for the United Nations-UN Live is a “borderless’ museum that sparks global empathy, action, and change through the power of popular culture and dialogue,” according to its website.
The album “Feat. NATURE” will include “timeless classic” such as ocean waves, wind, rainstorms and birdsong, and will be available on major streaming platforms. “By simply listening to music that features sounds of the natural world, fans will help to fund nature conservation and restoration projects in our most precious and precarious ecosystems,” the UN said.
The UN notes that the ‘Sounds Right’ initiative “comes at a critical time when wildlife populations have declined by an average 69% in the past 50 years and at least 1.2 million plant and animal species are estimated to be at threat of extinction.” The initiative “looks to flip our extractive relationship with the natural world on its head while recognizing nature’s contribution to the creative industries.”
Jain joins a diverse cast of global artists for the Sounds Right initiative, with his track “Baarishein” featuring the sounds of Indian rains. Others in the campaign include David Bowie x Brian Eno, Ellie Goulding, AURORA, UMI with V of BTS, MØ, London Grammar, Bomba Estéreo, Cosmo Sheldrake, Louis VI, Tom Walker, Aterciopelados, Blinky Bill, Navicula x Endah N Rhesa, and Los Amigos Invisibles.
Jain said a a lot of his music his is “inspired by what’s around me; the sky, the rain, the trees.” Some of his “best work highlights ‘nature’ as a metaphor to describe beauty.” He’s “excited” to be part of the “Sounds Right” initiative, he said. “because I get to give back to something that has given me so much, has given me music and most of all has given all of us life.
Born in Ludhiana, Jain is known for his baritone voice and simple chorded songs with lyrics mostly dealing with love and heartbreak. Described by Wikipedia as “one of the most popular Indian indie artists,” he mostly uses only a acoustic guitar or a ukulele, unaccompanied by percussion or other instruments.
He first came into the limelight with ‘Baarishein’, which has now surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify. Hs other hits include “Gul,” “Alag Aasmaan,” “Mishri,” and “Antariksh.”
His first all-India tour in October 2021 sold out across all 10 cities — “a significant feat for a young independent artist during the pandemic,” according to Button Factory, a live music venue in Dublin, Ireland. In 2022, he “drew more than 20,000 people to the Delhi Beat Street Festival,” and was “among the select few artists to feature on the line-up leading Post Malone’s performance in India,” the website said. He has been listed on ‘Forbes 30 under 30’ list, and earned and a spot in GQ’s 2023 ’35 Most Influential Young Indians list.’