As we are all going through difficult times, nothing is better than giving. And if you're a musician, that means charity music. Recognised for his artistic accomplishments and distinct music, singer John Rattanaveroj -- better known among 90s pop fans as John Nuvo -- was chosen to represent Thai artists by Los Angeles producer and composer Graham Czach on the global collaborative project "One Human".
The music video of the song One Human recently dropped online, bringing together a collective of 123 musicians representing 110 countries and territories around the planet. It's a joint project with Unicef with a goal to spread the universal message of peace and solidarity as well as help save the lives of children amid a pandemic by working to slow the spread of Covid-19 and minimise its impact in communities worldwide. The plan also aims to help children fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
"This project is bringing together a large number of artists. However, the objective is to raise funds for the Unicef project in order to help people in 190 countries affected by the pandemic," said John.
"Being an artist that can help fulfil a global purpose is what it's all about. Coming together and being part of this really provides inspiration, especially knowing that anybody can be saved. And anybody with the capability can also be part of something that is a global act of goodness."
Composed and arranged by Graham Czach, One Human is also a song featuring traditional instruments from many cultures, including the Indian sitar, Japanese taiko drums, Scottish bagpipes, Latin percussion and Western classical instruments. They blend genres of pop, classical, jazz and world music into an original sound. The recording features vocals by some of the big names in music such as Kris Myers of American rock band Umphrey's McGee, Juno award winner Alpha Yaya Diallo, Grammy award winner Dobet Gnahoré, Grammy award winner Al Walser, and Greek singer-songwriter George Perris. John is the only Thai artist in this all-star lineup.
"The opportunity to join the project came to me at the end of last year through my friend and actor-musician Saharat 'Kong' Sangkapreecha who thought I'd be interested as it is the coming together of world music. So I got Graham's contact and things picked up from there," he said.
"Graham has a very unique way of thinking, communicating and expressing needs via music in certain ways. If you watch the video of One Human, you will realise that this is not an easy online collaboration that many are doing at the moment. This is a global collaboration. The concept is simple, yet so powerful. It's about coming together as one, through compassion and the universal language of music to help solve the many crises in the world."
Nuvo's bandmate Saharat was right about him. John is always keen to take part in any project for a good cause. Besides being a member of Nuvo and an executive producer at IT and production companies like Splash Interactive, and CYBERIA The Digital Playground, John is also the man behind the music and art event called "Sounds Of Earth" (SOE). It's an ongoing music event in collaboration between Dusit Thani Hotel, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and the Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) with the intent of doing good and raising awareness about the conservation of the environment and nature.
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One of SOE's previous projects included Silent Music, a concert held in October last year on the beach at Dusit Thani Hua Hin where attendees listened to music through the special wireless headphones that immersed them in the atmosphere and helped them enjoy a new experience of live music together in the midst of nature without noise pollution.
"We are one of the few projects allowed to play in the national parks of Thailand because we don't have sounds coming out from any PA system but rather headphones," he explained. "Music is a powerful medium for driving positive change, especially when it is enhanced by technology. Our style of events demonstrates how concerts can be held safely and sustainably in the new normal. Free from noise pollution and social distancing, SOE's events are kind to the environment and provide a good model for quality, responsible tourism."
The atmosphere at Sound Of Earth. Splash Interactive
John also said that when the Covid-19 situation improves and when concerts return, he is preparing to hold an SOE event again and plans to invite his friend Czach as well as some artists from the "One Human" project to perform music for Thai fans.
"We would be happy to welcome Graham and others to be artists on our platform because I feel like we both share the same passion for music and also for our planet. I'm sure it's going to be one great show. Let's hope the pandemic will be over soon, perhaps in the next two weeks? [laughs]."
