Sounds Right Launches Music Platform Linking Artists With Nature and Conservation Funding

Kenyan music stars Blinky Bill and Bien have joined a global roster of artists partnering with NATURE on a groundbreaking music initiative that merges creativity with conservation.

The global project, Sounds Right, today unveiled FEAT. NATURE — the world’s first open platform that allows any artist to officially feature NATURE as a collaborator on their tracks, sharing royalties to fund community-led environmental protection.

The platform’s launch marks a major expansion of the Sounds Right model, opening submissions to musicians worldwide through soundsright.earth/feature. By incorporating natural sounds — from forests and oceans to wildlife — artists can now release music that credits NATURE as an official recording artist, with royalties split equally (50:50) between the artist and NATURE. The latter’s share will be directed to the Sounds Right Fund, supporting Indigenous- and community-led conservation projects vetted by experts and local leaders.

Since its debut, NATURE has reached over 26 million listeners across 181 countries, generating $400,000 in royalties that have gone toward conservation efforts in the Amazon and Congo Basin — in addition to $225,000 previously channelled to projects in the Tropical Andes. The announcement was made at the Global Citizen Amazonia concert in Belém, Brazil, ahead of the upcoming COP30 climate summit.

Blinky Bill’s latest track, Kata Matin (feat. NATURE), reimagines a traditional Luo gospel song handed down through generations. “Kata Matin is an old Luo Gospel song that’s been passed down generations, and what’s drawn me to it is how the mood lifts and how beautiful the melody is when it’s sung, particularly in the village. I wanted to give it a contemporary feel that places it in the here and now, and had so much fun working on it,” he said.

Bien joins other African artists — including Juls and Olivetheboy from Ghana, Lady Donli from Nigeria, and Phila Dlozi from South Africa — in releasing new tracks featuring the sounds of the Congo Basin, one of the world’s most vital ecosystems.

The initiative comes amid growing concern about humanity’s fading connection with the natural world. Studies show that references to nature — such as words like “river,” “moss,” and “blossom” — have declined by 60% in literature since 1800, mirroring the broader loss of biodiversity. Sounds Right aims to counter this trend by reintegrating natural sounds into popular culture and fostering awareness through music.

Gabriel Smales, Global Programme Director at Sounds Right – UN Live, said the platform gives artists a simple and powerful way to credit NATURE in their work while generating tangible support for conservation. “This launch helps restore nature’s presence in popular culture while mobilising real resources to protect the ecosystems we all depend on,” he said.

Hans Poulsen, Program Partner at Eleutheria Group, added that the initiative represents a practical and transparent framework for independent artists worldwide. “It’s where cultural innovation meets industry infrastructure, aligning creative freedom with measurable environmental impact,” he said.

Led by the Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, Sounds Right brings together musicians, sound recordists, producers, creatives, and environmental groups, with partners including EarthPercent, AKQA, Spotify, the Eleutheria Group, and the Hempel Foundation.

The FEAT. NATURE platform is now live globally at soundsright.earth/feature, inviting artists everywhere to make music that gives back to the planet.