BENGALURU: For the upcoming World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) Earth Hour India 2023, to be noticed on March 25, 8.30 pm, Bengalurean, multi-instrumentalist and composer Ricky Kej has been chosen as the face to represent the green event. Besides his music, for which he has won three Grammys in his career so far, Kej is also known for his environmental efforts.
“I’ve been working with WWF for a while and have been involved in environmentalism for the last two decades, so it’s only natural that we join hands for Earth Hour. I believe the problem, whether it’s social or environmental, can be pinpointed to one thing – overconsumption. It is non-deliberate, where you buy and use stuff for no reason without thinking of its consequences. Concerning this whole use-and-throw economy that we have right now, I believe that Earth Hour is a good way to reflect on the choices we make. To contemplate the relationship we have with the energy we use, the food we eat, and the fibre we wear,” shares Kej, who is currently working on his second project with Rock & Roll legend Stewart Copeland, set to release in August. The successful duo managed to win two Grammys for their previous collaboration Divine Tides.
Caring for the environment came to Kej like how a moth comes to flame. “Ever since I was a child, I wondered about animals and their place in the ecosystem. I used to have many questions about where garbage ends up and the more I read, the more I realised the harm we have done as a society to the environment. I was always keen on asking my parents and teachers about how we are polluting the soil, water etc. Eventually, my musician side and my environmentalist side came together. Now the only kind of music that I make is about the environment and positive social impact,” he says.
Environmentalism or any other global cause is a fairly intellectual discourse. But music, many would say, is an emotional journey. However, Kej believes the reason he has never struggled to find a common link at the crossroads of these two different entities, is because both of them come to him from a space of honesty in his heart. “Music and t h e world are things I feel strongly about. It has never been difficult for me to express my environmentalism through my music. It comes naturally to me, you know. Meanwhile, writing a commercial jingle can be a struggle for me at times.
For instance, I don’t drink and I never have. Back when I was writing jingles, I used to work with a lot of alcohol brands and I had to write music for people who go to pubs very often. Now, that was hard as I couldn’t relate to that feeling at all,” he says. In this time with social media giving us updates on events happening across the world in the blink of our eyes, Kej feels it is becoming increasingly important for musicians to champion the causes they believe in. “I don’t believe awareness is an issue anymore. Everyone is aware of all the problems plaguing the world, whether it’s climate change, species extinction, plastic pollution, or deforestation, among others.
The golden question is how we push people from mere awareness to taking action. Everybody seems to feel that it’s not their responsibility to bring about change. They put the responsibility on the government, intergovernmental bodies, NGOs, or the wealthy. And also you have a younger generation who want to change the world, but not themselves. So, I believe that is where the arts play a vital role. Because for us as musicians, what we need to do is take these complex ideas and interpret them in the emotional language of music. If you strike the emotional chord, only then are people enough inspired to bring about change,” he concludes.