NATURE takes the Stage - From FC Barcelona to the Amazon

Dear friends,

Nature has been steadily disappearing from our culture. In books, films, and popular music, references to the living world have thinned dramatically, tracking a 60% collapse in human Nature Connectedness over two centuries according to a new study in Journal Earth When nature disappears from the stories that shape us, it’s little wonder we struggle to protect it.

UN Live and the partners behind the Sounds Right initiative  is pushing back on this discouraging trend. At the centre is Feat. NATURE — a new Sounds Right platform enabling any musician to credit NATURE as a featured artist, release tracks built with natural soundscapes, and split royalties 50:50 to fund Indigenous- and community- led conservation on the frontline. And NATURE the artist isn’t re-entering culture through music alone: the Sounds Right initiative has now extended to sport, dance, and poetry – the places where people already gather, imagine, and define their world.

Let’s dive in.

You Feat. NATURE?

What if any artist, anywhere, could credit nature in their music? This month, UN Live and  Sounds Right partners launched a new platform -  Feat. NATURE – that lets musicians upload tracks featuring natural soundscapes and officially list NATURE as a collaborator, with royalties split 50:50 to support Indigenous- and community- led conservation.

This major expansion of the Sounds Right’s model was announced with Brazilian DJ, producer and change-maker, Alok, at Global Citizen Amazonia concert in Belem ahead of COP30, and broadcast on Globo to an expected 55 million viewers. It gives artists a simple, credible way to recognise NATURE in their creative process, and in doing so, strengthens nature’s presence in global culture. A warm and particular thanks go to Eleutheria Group who championed this innovation, along with UN Live, Distro Direct, Earth/Percent, L-Acoustics, and AKQA for making this happen!

NATURE. THE ORIGINAL GOAT.

NATURE appeared on pitch-side boards throughout the Barcelona v Real Sociedad game in September. We were thrilled that GOATs Lamine Yamal was on the field to see it, but we enjoyed this quiet but unmistakable reminder that nature belongs in one of the world’s most-watched cultural arenas: football. Indeed, this is a time when many pitches and training facilities throughout the world are threatened by flooding and droughts caused by man-made climate change.

This fun activation was made possible by Spotify – a Sounds Right Global Impact Partner – who continue to invest in NATURE the artist’’s growth and recognition in the music industry.

Dancing In Nature Goes Viral

Sounds Right has partnered with a leading dance group from Mathare – an informal settlement in Kenya – to create something extraordinary: a viral moment connecting movement, community, joy, and NATURE.

The 'Dance in nature' challenge reached around 1.7 million individuals on Instagram and Tiktok in the first two weeks. Championed by the Mathare Kids Talent Hub, the choreography leads with joy and creativity in ways that transcend borders and traditional media. Leading Kenyan dance influencers hopped onto the trend, while lifestyle influencers gave us a peek into how nature and music color their daily lives. This dance challenge to Kata Matin (feat. NATURE) by Kenyan DJ/Producer Blinky Bill is one of many ways we’re crowding in community voices to share and show their nature stories. Follow @nature_theartist and @soundsright.earth to see more!

Deepening Our Connection with Nature Through Sound

Poetry: Running Water

In a first for the Sounds Right initiative, Beninese-American actor Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Blood Diamond, Amistad) lends his powerful voice to Running Water by Alfonsina Storni, blending poetry, a river in the Congo, and cinematic instrumentation into a moving reflection on our connection with the natural world.

UN Live at COP30: “To change the world, you’ve got to throw a better party than those destroying it.”

COP30 in Brazil was a vivid reminder of the central question facing global climate action: how do we bring the rest of the world into shaping a better future? Popular culture must be part of the answer. It shifts instincts, not through argument but through emotion – altering what people see, hear, and ultimately feel is possible.

That’s why UN Live was at COP30 in Sao Paolo and Belém: to help bring a cultural lens to a space dominated by policy and negotiation. At events with Goals House, Climate Live, and Purpose , we shared how mobilising musicians, creators, digital platforms and real-world activations can put nature back into the cultural mainstream – and why this matters for unlocking the public imagination at scale.

What’s more, Sounds Right partners released 14 new releases celebrating the sounds of two of the world’s most vital ecosystems. Six artists from Latin America, including Alexia Evellyn, Pedrina, Antonio Sanchez, Chancha Via Circuito, Systema Solar, and Monte (aka Simon Mejia), have released new music infused with the sounds from the Amazon, while seven artists from Africa, including Juls, Phila Dlozi, Olivetheboy, Bien, Blinky Bill, and Lady Donli, showcase the rich soundscapes of the Congo Basin region. Press play and take action here.

The Shift with Melissa Fleming & Moon Ribas

We are continuing to share a series of conversations with environmentalists, artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders who are using their platforms to connect people, shift mindsets, and generate the collective energy needed for change — in our recently-introduced series, The Shift.

This month, we feature two more powerful conversations: one with Melissa Fleming, UN Global Communications Chief, and another with Moon Ribas, cyborg artist and co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation.

More will follow soon — keep an eye on our social media channels.

What’s on our playlist and bookshelf this month:

Bouchra Khalili — Artist Profile
Moroccan-French artist Bouchra Khalili develops collaborative strategies of storytelling with members of communities excluded from citizen membership. Her work explores migration, citizenship, and the power of shared narratives.
🔗 Explore her work

48 Hours Without A.I. — The New York Times
By A.J. Jacobs and Amir Hamja. It's everywhere, as the author learned the hard way while making as little contact as possible with machine learning and generative artificial intelligence. A revealing experiment in disconnection.
🔗 Read it

With 'a Billion' Eyes on Them, India's Women Lift Cricket World Cup
A team that faced seemingly insurmountable odds wins its first championship, with wider ramifications for the role women play in public life. A cultural moment that transcends sport.
🔗 Read more

No victory parade planned for India women's cricket team 'as of now'
The Indian women's cricket team won its first-ever World Cup trophy on Sunday after beating South Africa in the final. The absence of a parade raises questions about how we celebrate women's achievements in sport.
🔗 Read the story

Is that a goose on your head? Earth's most spectacular inhabitants – in pictures
From sharks to rays, from island cliffs to the tribes of Africa's Omo Valley, Cristina Mittermeier's show A Greater Wisdom celebrates the beauty of our planet—and highlights the biggest threats it faces.
🔗 View the gallery

No, Bill Gates, we don't have to choose between people & planet (commentary)
Bill Gates's recent essay, "Three Tough Truths About Climate," marks a dangerous shift. This commentary challenges the false choice between human development and planetary health, arguing for integrated solutions.
🔗 Read the response

Hold Your Own — Kae Tempest
A powerful spoken-word track that weaves personal vulnerability with collective urgency. Kae Tempest's raw storytelling reminds us that transformation begins with holding space for our own complexity and each other's humanity.
🔗 Listen here

Your kind support is welcomed!

If you believe in the power of culture to move the world, we invite you to be part of this momentum. Every contribution—large or small—helps UN Live bring more people, more voices, and more creativity into action for people, planet and global belonging. Your support to UN Live fuels groundbreaking work like Sounds Right, Global We, DOPE, and the ventures that follow. Join us in scaling this cultural movement for global good. Donate today and help us turn inspiration into impact.

Please donate here: 

UN Live - Museum for the United Nations | Every.org or if making a grant recommendation through a  Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), give to Myriad USA and designate to Museum for the United Nations – UN Live*.

*When entering the dollar amount of the grant, select “Use” and then “Create Your Own” to specify our organization ( Museum for the United Nations – UN Live ) as the designated purpose.