Meet the artists behind the UN’s second annual nature sounds mixtape
It’s Earth Day — and Mother Nature is back with a new mixtape.
Last year, the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live launched Sounds Right, an initiative where artists release songs with nature sounds that generate streaming royalties which are put towards nature conservation efforts.
And today, the second volume is out.
“It’s a really beautiful initiative,” said artist Raveena, who describes her music as a blend of R&B, pop, jazz, experimental and Indian music.
Her song, “Morning Prayer,” includes rain sounds from a morning she was meditating with a friend, under a gentle beat and layered vocals.
Over the past year, the project generated more than $200,000 for conservation efforts between streaming royalties and donations from individuals and institutions, according to UN Live.
George the Poet, a spoken word artist in London, was inspired by nature that exists in places where people might not expect it.
“We grew up in public housing,” he said. “And that’s often imagined to be grey and hard and not have much green. But in our experience, there was just green all around us. There were fields, there were trees. We were always climbing the trees. We were always going on some adventure.”
He’s still finding the line between creating art as an escape for others and being an activist.
“Part of me wants to create escapist music. But I’m always concerned about what happens when the music stops,” George said.
His song, “The Natural World,'” features spoken word over soft string plucks and bird sounds.
Danish artist Magnus Münster got involved with Sounds Right as an outlet for his own anxiety about climate change.
“I think that being part of ‘Sounds Right’ in and of itself is not helpful enough, no, but I believe in the potential of the project as a part of a bigger personal journey of being as climate positive as I can, whilst trying to motivate others to find their way of doing the same,” Münster said.
His song, “I Don’t Wanna Be Strong,” features birds under his vocals and piano.
All of the songs and sounds can be found on the “NATURE” artist profile on major music streaming platforms.
This story was edited for radio by Barry Gordemer.
Here’s what happens when private equity buys homes in your neighborhood
What makes rents go down and neighborhood diversity go up? Corporate landlords. But they also make it harder to own for yourself.
Trump’s Medicaid cuts will hurt children’s hospitals
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.
A new Nation’s Report Card shows drops in science, math and reading scores
It's the first Nation's Report Card since the Trump administration began making cuts to the U.S. Education Department. The scores reflect the state of student achievement in early 2024.
Musicians keep leaving Spotify in protest of CEO’s defense investments
In the last few months, bands including Hotline TNT and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard have pulled music from Spotify in a new wave of artist-led protests against the platform.
Here they are: The best student podcasts in America
For the 2025 NPR Student Podcast Challenge, we've listened to nearly 2,000 entries from around the U.S., and narrowed them down to 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists.
Nepal lifts social media ban following protests where police killed 19 people
Nepal's government lifted its ban on social media platforms Tuesday a day after police killed opened fire on mass street protests against the ban, killing 19 people.
