*** there were numerous musicians, workshop facilitators, and artists who inspired me so much this year and are not included in this list. This could be for a variety of reasons - some for privacy reasons, some because they don’t have an online present. If I connected with you on my Watson and you don’t see yourself on this list but want to be included please let me know!
Alex Etchart (singer, choir leader, multi-instrumentalist, composer amplifying queer, decolonial, social and environmental justice topics through theatre and music)
Alice Sea (singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, ecstatic dance teacher; NZ)
Ambedkar Age Digital Bookmobile (musical project amplifying Maharashtra’s long history of social reform and sharing anti-caste songs that feature numerous musicians; India)
Amrit Gandhari (Sarangi player, Sarangi shop owner, music therapist; Nepal)
Angeline Morrison (singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, giving voice to the Black British experience through her album Sorrow Songs)
Angharad Wynne (author and storyteller; Wales)
Anna D. (poet, singer-songwriter, social justice advocate; Ireland)
Anu Gandhari (Sarangi player, singer; Nepal)
AY Young (singer-songwriter, rapper, climate activist, creator of the Battery Tour; US)
Baque Luar (Afro-Brazilian band praising nature through song; England)
Big Jush (singer, rapper, producer, member of Kibera Creative Arts; Kenya)
Brianna Fruean (climate activist, Pacific Climate Warrior, storyteller; Samoa/NZ)
Bryan Vallejos (singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer; Easter Island)
Charlotte Pulver (apothocarian and pilgrimage, ceremonial, ritual facilitator; England)
Chris Salisbury (author, storyteller, founder and director of Wild Wise; England)
Cosmo Sheldrake (musician and producer incorporating nature field recordings into songs; England)
Curawaka (band honoring Indigenous traditions and sharing songs from around the world; Europe/Latin America)
Ditty (singer-songwriter, environmental advocate exploring creative ways to reduce carbon emissions while touring; India/Germany)
Denise Rowe (dancer, facilitator, creative practitioner, creator of Earth Dances - the work of embodied remembering; England)
Ema I’u (singer-songwriter, poet, actress, organizer of Holding Space Aotearoa and Songwriters 4 Climate Action; NZ)
EmRiver (singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, facilitator; England)
Gazelle Band (Palestinian oud group; England)
Gossamer Threads Project (musician and collaborative project; England)
Hiva Nui (singer-songwriter, climate activist; Easter Island)
Jamen Moss (singer-songwriter, sound-healer; NZ)
Jen Cloher (singer-songwriter, singer of big questions, justice, and rivers; NZ)
Jesse David (singer-songwriter, climate activist; Kenya)
Joseph Nguthiru (founder of the climate-solutions start-up, HyaPak, Obama Leader; Kenya)
Josie Gritten (doula, childbirth educator, workshop facilitator, award-winning photographer, NZ)
Joydah Mae (singer-songwriter, sacred Earth channeler; NZ)
Karine Polwart (singer-songwriter, storyteller, contributing artist in “Spell Songs” project)
Kato Ewekia (musician and climate activist; Tuvalu)
Kiki Gilmore (singer-songwriter…can lead a group singing covers around a piano for hours (it’s epic!); England)
Kiran Nepali (professional Sarangi player, founder of Project Sarangi, member of the band Kutumba; Nepal)
Koteka (musician raising awareness of her home West Papua and the Free West Papua movement; England)
Kutumba (folk instrumental ensemble committed to preservation and celebration of Indigenous Nepali music; Nepal)
Lhakpa Tenji Lama Sherpa (singer-songwriter; Nepal)
Larry Dwayne (rapper, songwriter, climate activist; Kenya)
Loshn (Klezmer trio; England)
Makadem (professional nyatiti player, singer; Kenya)
Matiu (musician, workshop facilitator, Māori cultural ambassador, watch the Haka that I learned from him here; NZ)
Martha Tilston (singer-songwriter and filmmaker; England)
Mica Sinclair (singer-songwriter and storyteller; England)
Misha Kalinin - (guitarist and composer; Switzerland)
Mikaela Loach (climate justice activist and author; UK)
Mog Fry (singer-songwriter, multi-disciplinary artist; England)
Noga Ritter (singer-songwriter, choir leader, workshop facilitator; England)
Phlexible (rapper, producer, community builder, co-founder of Kibera Creative Arts; Kenya)
Roísín (Irish-Palestinian singer-songwriter; Ireland)
Roksana Smirnova (pianist and composer; Switzerland)
Sachelah (singer-songwriter; Kenya)
Sam Lee (folk song-collector, musician, conservationist, activist; England)
Sangeeta (singer, sound healer, yoga instructor, focused on dismantling racism and decolonizing; Germany)
Small Island Big Song - performing arts project uniting musicians of Indian and Pacific Island nations through song and dance, raising awareness for impact of rising seas on their island homes; international touring group)
Spell Songs (musical project based on “The Lost Words” - a collection of poems written with nature words omitted from a children‘s dictionary; UK)
Sophia Efthimiou (singer, voice weaver, vocal facilitator)
Suntou Susso (kora player, songwriter, teacher; England)
Three Acres and a Cow (history of British land rights and protest through folk song and story; England)
Yoyo Tuki (singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, member of Small Island Big Song; Rapa Nui)
zjimie (singer-songwriter; Kenya)
Emma shared her Watson year through an evening of song and story at eTown Hall in Boulder. Watch the full performance below. Access lyrics here
Emma’s year was shaped by the musicians and other creative artists that she encountered. While she wishes you could have attended all the concerts and been there during the many collective music-making moments, she’s created a playlist featuring many of the artists in hopes to transport you!