By Jocelle Koh

Talking about the Earth and environmental issues can be depressing sometimes. I could bore you with a bunch more stats about how human activity and our choices are destroying the Earth, or how questionable sustainability practices often are deeply intertwined with human rights issues, but over at Asian Pop Weekly, we want to celebrate Earth Day the way we celebrate everything else.

With hope, with optimism, and ALWAYS with music in mind. When we first started this campaign, we were racking our brains to think of Asian artists who supported environmentalism in their music. While there are decidedly less artists who outrightly speak about environmental issues, there are many who continue to embody the concepts that lead to an environmental mindset in their music.

Some wax lyrical about their connection with nature, while others sing about how they adapt in the face of change. Each bringing their own unique perspectives and experiences to the table, we’ve curated a 3 hour-long playlist of Asian bops that embody environmentalism for us in 2021 including works by the likes of Yoyo Sham (Hong Kong), Earth Patravee (Thailand), Leehom Wang (Taiwan), inch chua (Singapore), Rina Sawayama (Japan/UK) and more.

A playlist that is diverse in sound, colour, and perspective, we hope it refreshes your mindset about environmentalism and kickstarts a conversation about how we can preserve our Earth through music; no matter who we are and where we come from. Happy Earth Day!

This article is part of our 2021 ‘APW Earth Emergency’ series discussing the contemporary intersection between environmentalism and Asian music. We are partnering with #TOGETHERBAND, a nonprofit global movement to solidify our commitment to concrete environmental efforts. We’ll be holding a contest giving away four #TOGETHERBANDS (sustainably produced friendship bands) over on our Patreon in the month of April, and donating double the month’s earnings to their #TOGETHERFUND. The fund directs aid towards programmes advancing the UN’s sustainable development goals and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the other articles in our ‘Earth Emergency’ series here, and learn how you can participate in the campaign here.