Sending the sound of birdsong soaring into the music charts - Let Nature Sing

The Challenge

Nature is in crisis. The UK has lost 40 million birds since England last won the World Cup. Time is running out to save the rest.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds challenged us to come up with a campaign that could cut through the noise and get nature back into popular culture.

The Glimpse

Imagine a world where...
garden swifts were celebrated like Taylor Swift.

Let Nature Sing is a two year, multi channel campaign that brings music and wildlife together to sound the alarm in culture, politics and media.

To launch the campaign we released a single of pure birdsong into the official music charts, featuring a chorus of the UK most loved – and most endangered – birds.

We collaborated with RSPB birdsong expert Adrian Thomas and musician Sam Lee to bring the nation’s most beloved birds together for two minutes of audio bliss.

Every single needs a music video, so we enlisted the UK’s leading shadowographer, Drew Colby, and timed the single to peak on International Dawn Chorus Day.

The Impact

25,000

Downloads

80

MPs gathered in Westminster to hear the single

4.2 million

impressions across social media

Let Nature Sing was downloaded over 25,000 times, peaked at number 11 in the UK charts and made music history.

The single was played on BBC6 Music, Radio 1’s Chart Show, The Zoe Ball Breakfast show, BBC Breakfast and The One Show. We were reviewed in NME and Pitchfork… and remixed by Diplo.

Beyond the tweets

Just important to us as the media coverage is the cultural conversation we sparked about about the plight of nature.

At our launch party, artists and conservation experts sat together in silence, allowing the magic of birdsong to fill the room.

On social media, people remembered the birds they heard as children and called for them to be protected for future generations.

The Long Tail

We’re still seeing the ripple effects from this campaign, from spotting the single on playlists to hearing discussions in Parliament. RSPB staff have even been awarded their own birdsong radio show.

Glimpse exists to promote a new culture, one that’s rooted in compassion, creativity and connection with nature. We’re proud to say this campaign allowed us to fly a little bit closer.

Glimpse are simply brilliant. Inspired ideas, inspiring people. Love them.
— Adrian Thomas, RSPB