New ambassadors promote unity through song

When country star Lainey Wilson toured Europe this year, her sister wondered if fans would understand her lyrics. It didn’t matter. In Amsterdam, half the crowd sang along in Dutch while the other half sang in English.

“That’s the power of music and that’s the power of storytelling. It really transcends language barriers,” Wilson said at the launch of the Global Music Partnership between the U.S. State Department and YouTube on June 24. “What I’ve learned from traveling the world and making music is that we’re all much more alike than you think, and we have so much in common.”

Wilson is one of 11 new U.S. Global Music Ambassadors who continue the department’s tradition of bringing people together through music. American music diplomacy dates back to the 1950s, when Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong and other “jazz ambassadors” toured Europe, Africa and the Middle East, often performing for audiences who had never heard American music.

“We are all here because we believe in the power of music,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington as he introduced Wilson and the other new music ambassadors. Music inspires us, said Blinken, but also has the power to “communicate and connect.” The ambassadors just announced represent genres from rap and country to blues, opera, soul and jazz.

The USA’s Global Music Ambassadors are Wilson, Chuck D, Grace Bowers, BRELAND, Kane Brown, Denyce Graves, Herbie Hancock, Jelly Roll, Teddy Swims, Justin Tranter and Armani White.

The ambassadors will not only perform around the world and provide insight into US culture, but will also work with local musicians and reach out to young people who can benefit from exposure to music.

Their diplomatic efforts also serve three goals:

• Promoting English learning through music.
• Creation of exchange programs in the field of music education.
• Providing small grants to prepare young people for jobs in the creative sectors.

“This partnership is designed to empower and inspire,” said Lyor Cohen, global head of music at YouTube, a virtual stage that spans 100 countries and 80 languages.

Groundbreaking rapper Chuck D, who was performing in Germany in November 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell, said his world tours convinced him that music could “move things in many ways.”

He said that “culture and art bring people together based on their similarities and push aside differences.”