Youth Incorporated Magazine

The US Consulate, Mumbai collaborated with Namaste America to host Kelsey Rae and 2B1’s live concert, “Saving the Planet Through Song” in Mumbai at Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha, Sion on 25^th April 2023. The concert was free for anyone to attend with prior registration.  What came as a surprise element was the jam session with a Mumbai-based local band named Dharavi Rocks.

Kelsey Rae and 2B1, namely Ivan Cruz, Pablo Barragan, Ryan Dahir, and Anthony Grant, have toured the globe, wielding their optimistic tunes and great energy to bring people of diverse ages, cultures, and lineages together with the omnipresent medium of music. Their performance was a mix of upcycled instruments, breakdancing, drumming, and vocals that positively impacted the audience to live in a more eco-friendly way.

Not only did the band sing original songs like Calling Out, Freedom, Be One World, and Lean On Me, but they also covered famous songs like Feeling Good by Nina Simone, 24K Magic by Bruno Mars, and Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson. The objective of ‘saving the planet through song’ is twofold. Firstly, music is one of the rare mediums that brings people together through energy and spreads a message effectively. Secondly, they used recycled musical instruments are made-up of metal trash cans, plastic barrels, water bottles, and other landfill-rescued items. Not only did this highlight their eco-friendly objective, but it also brought a sense of authenticity to their music.

“Performing across the world, we connect with the youth through music. Our show is dedicated to opening hearts and encouraging change. Having taken our message to a number of countries, we’ve seen the issues at hand. Through our performance and work with the youth, we aim to inspire them to think before they throw away their trash,” said Kelsey Rae, the forerunner of the band.

The collaboration of Dharavi Rocks with 2B1 was a sensory delight for the audience as the former is a group of underprivileged kids who transform everyday items like water drums, cans, sticks, and bottles into musical instruments, exhibiting their exceptional ingenuity. The spell-bounding experience included beatboxing, drumming, and freestyling, which was a part of this exploration, and everyone in the auditorium loved it. 

Overall, it was a music performance full of energy and a positive message. It didn’t matter if no one knew the words, as everyone understood the message and it impacted the audience to bring change from within.