Music is often a powerful medium for promoting healing and creating activism of all kinds within popular culture. As we move more and more into a world of technology, we can sometimes lose sight of how vast the nonhuman world still is and our impact on our diverse biosphere. On today’s episode, we have Priya Parrotta, a writer, musician and activist dedicated to promoting environmental consciousness across borders. She composes, sings and produces music to convey the magic and power that is possible when people embrace their connections to the Earth and explores themes such as encounter, hybridity and creative resistance. 

Priya was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico where her experiences with nature, particularly the ocean, shaped her understanding of the universe. She speaks to us on how her research on climate change, geopolitics, and colonialism impacted her music. She dives into how humans have used the natural environment to build wealth for a few elite members of society. She advocates for us to rather understand the role that we play in our ecosystem, how our actions affect other beings, and how we can be active participants in the natural world. Woven into today’s show, we also get to listen to two of Priya’s original musical compositions.

Priya is the Founder and Creative Director of Music & the Earth International. Music & the Earth is an initiative which produces decolonial and multicultural resources for environmental awareness and healing. Priya’s work is informed by her close connections to South Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Latin Caribbean. She authored her first book, The Politics of Coexistence in the Atlantic World, at the age of 25. Her second book project is titled To Dream Again: Imagining Island Solidarity Through Music. Priya has been nominated for the United States Artists Fellowship, and has been recognized internationally for weaving bridges between music and diverse branches of environmental thought and action.

Connect with her:

Priyaparrotta.com

facebook.com/musicandtheearth

musicandtheearth.org/to-dream-again

climatesoul.com

vimeo.com/594219240