Artists across the globe are banding together in celebration of Musicians Making a Difference Day, a national awareness day that aims to connect to young people through the power of music.
To commemorate the day, Australian youth charity Musicians Making a Difference (MMAD) is calling on artists and music fans to dedicate a song and positive message on social media, using the hashtag #ThisSongIsForYou.
MMAD delivers both frontline and online creative support with the aim of inspiring, engaging, educating and empowering vulnerable young people through music and mentoring.
The MMAD initiative includes community outreach, street support, creative youth mentoring camps & courses, a music soup kitchen, leadership development, educational content development, a national youth campaign, and social enterprises.
The organization notes that there are over 26,400 reports of child abuse and neglect every year, with 27,680 young people homeless on any given night, and suicide still the leading cause of death for young people.
Musicians Making A Difference Day aims to empower young people in need, inspiring them to live their potential by connecting to MMAD.
To help bolster the cause, MMAD has enlisted the help of musicians on a global and local scale, including the likes of Gretta Ray, Birds of Tokyo, Polish Club, Ruby Boots, Yorke, Rest for the Wicked, Thandi Phoenix, Charli, The Buckleys, Yungblud, Tonight Alive and more.
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MMAD Chairperson, Geraint Davies says, “Around 97% of young people are online and music is a language that we all speak, so what better way to connect with those most in need? MMAD’s programs are life-changing and they’re free and this day helps to create awareness about what we do so more young people can connect with the support they really need.”
UK musician Matt Goss, dedicated his song ‘Somewhere To Fall’, to the initiative. Reflecting on the loss of his mother, Matt says: “It’s a song about finding a safe place to rest your strength, it’s not about weakness, it’s ok to rest. We’ve been through so much of late and personally I believe it’s very important to lift people up and to listen to people and it’s okay to reach out to somebody.”
Today is Musicians Making A Difference Day! Dedicate a song on your socials with the hashtag #ThisSongIsForYou & tag @MMADAustralia. To anyone going through a hard time right now, I dedicate my song Somewhere to Fall to you #ThisSongIsForYou pic.twitter.com/0NM7Z00nfl
— Matt Goss (@mattgoss) October 14, 2021
Whilst Tonight Alive vocalist, Jenna McDougall, shared a message of hope for young people alongside her dedication, New Radical’s eternal feelgood anthem ‘You Get What You Give.’
“In honour of Musicians Making A Difference Day, I chose the song that makes me think everything is going to be ok. I hope this song brightens your day.”
There are a number of industry-wide events taking place throughout the day, including a popup station on iHeartRadio, a curated MTV programming takeover, and promos voiced by Yumi Stynes running on the KIIS Network. MMAD will host a music industry trivia, and a slew of live music interviews with host Danny Clayton on @mmadaustralia IGTV Live.
To celebrate Musicians Making A Difference Day, artists Ninajrachi, Thandi Phoenix, and Chelsea Warner have collaborated on the track #ThisSongIsForYou, inspired by the personal experiences of young people.
