Any music lover knows that a great song transcends borders and languages. Now, that unifying power is being leveraged as a diplomatic tool. On Monday (June 24), YouTube announced a partnership with the U.
S. State Department as part of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative, a program launched last September by U.S.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken that aims to use music to promote peace and diplomacy around the world. The project centers around a group of genre-spanning artists who will act as musical ambassadors.
Chuck D, Herbie Hancock, Jelly Roll, Armani White, Breland, Denyce Graves, Grace Bowers, Justin Tranter, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson and Teddy Swims are all participating, with additional artists to be announced. The Global Music Diplomacy Initiative is an extension of the PEACE through Music Diplomacy Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden last year and directed the State Department to facilitate public-private partnerships that would support music-related diplomacy. YouTube was selected as a partner given its global reach and influence on music culture worldwide.
The partnership will include micro-grants to support people who use music to create positive change in their communities; YouTube will also assist the State Department in its work using music as a tool for learning English. Additionally, they will team up to engage audiences and aspiring artists in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France and India and “utilize major international gatherings to.
