ICHIKO AOBA Teams Up with NATURE FOR ‘AIR’
By ICHIKO AOBA
Shares New Single “Air” Featuring Nature
Released Ahead of New York Climate Week 2026
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Ichiko Aoba has announced a new track, “air”, set to be released on 18th September, as part of the Sounds Right initiative, ahead of the launch of New York Climate Week. Recorded at Studio Richter Mahr in the Cotswolds together with composer Taro Umebayashi, “air” captures the mood that was created in a period after performing one of her highest profile headline shows to date at the Royal Albert Hall. With field recordings taken at dawn on a beautiful spring morning in the Cotswolds, the calm and peaceful composition exudes the true essence of nature.
Ichiko says of the track: “With “air,” I wanted to portray both its sound and spirit floating softly through the air, never settling in one place. Birds sing, and white light scatters like steam.
In a soft, dreamlike moment, like a cloud of cotton candy, I asked Taro Umebayashi, with whom I was creating the piece, “What are you thinking about right now?” The thoughts he shared, little by little, shaped the lyrics and the tone of the song.
Whereas our previous work together has often explored profound themes, this time we approached the recording in a more relaxed and natural way than ever before. We had just finished our performance at the Royal Albert Hall and were feeling relieved and somewhat spent. The spirit of the music flowed through us like a stream, and engineer Toshihiko Kasai captured it beautifully. It is an unguarded and tender work.”
Ichiko’s collaboration with EarthPercent grew from her deep personal concern for environmental conservation. She spends part of each year on Hateruma, a remote island at the southern edge of Japan’s Ryukyu Archipelago, where she has witnessed first-hand the degradation of coral reefs and the impact of plastic pollution. The island and its surrounding ocean have also been a profound source of inspiration for her two most recent albums, Windswept Adan and Luminescent Creatures.
“air” is released as part of Sounds Right, the new global music initiative led by The Museum for the United Nations – UN Live, and EarthPercent, the environmental charity co-founded by Brian Eno, that has established NATURE as a credited artist on all major music streaming platforms, earning royalties that flow directly to frontline conservation. Winner of the prestigious Grand Prix for Innovation at the 2025 Cannes Lion International Festival of Creativity, the initiative has gone on to win 11 major awards and raise and distribute over $625,000 to vital biodiversity conservation efforts around the world with the next round of funding to be announced at COP31 in November.
“air” is part of a collection of Sounds Right tracks releasing across New York Climate Week, featuring new music from; Shallou, the Los Angeles-based singer, producer and DJ; London-based musician and multidisciplinary artist and musician, Josephine Illingworth, hip-hop children’s group Alphabet Rockers and Nordic ambient collective, Halo Music.
See below for more information about Ichiko Aoba, Sounds Right, and New York Climate Week.
Ichiko Aoba
Since Ichiko Aoba’s 2010 debut, Razorblade Maiden, the Japanese singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist has released seven albums and founded independent label hermine. Her music, often composed on just her classical guitar or synthesizer, is simultaneously intimate and boundless; fragile and unyielding; virtuosic and understated.
Her acclaimed album Luminescent Creatures launched a two-year world tour, taking in iconic stages including the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Beyond her albums and live work, Aoba’s creativity extends to radio, narration and film composition. Her score for Amiko (2022) won Best Soundtrack at the 77th Mainichi Film Awards, while she received the ANCHOR Award at the 2023 Reeperbahn Festival.
With a feature on the new Bonobo album and an Australian tour in October including a headline performance at the Sydney Opera House, Aoba continues to expand her singular musical world. At the heart of it all, Ichiko Aoba’s music remains a space of stillness and imagination – inviting listeners into worlds both real and dreamed.
ichikoaoba.com
instagram.com/ichikoaoba
instagram.com/hermineinc
Sounds Right & EarthPercent
Led by Museum of the United Nations – UN Live, and EarthPercent, the environmental charity co-founded by Brian Eno, Sounds Right is a groundbreaking global initiative that has established NATURE as a credited artist on all major music streaming platforms. The royalties generated flow directly to frontline conservation. Operating at the intersection of music, community, and environmental stewardship, Sounds Right transforms the simple act of listening into a force for protecting biodiversity.
Since launching in April 2024, NATURE has amassed over 400 million streams and reached 30 million listeners across 185 countries, placing her among the top 0.1% of artists on Spotify globally. More than 200 artists have collaborated with NATURE, including Hozier, AURORA, Ellie Goulding, and David Bowie x Brian Eno, spanning genres and geographies to bring authentic natural soundscapes into popular culture. Governed by an independent Expert Advisory Panel and hosted by EarthPercent, the Sounds Right Fund has raised over $1M for conservation efforts in areas including the Tropical Andes, Amazon and Congo Basin, prioritising community-led, rights-based conservation in key biodiversity areas. It has earned 11 major awards, including the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Innovation.
www.soundsright.earth
www.earthpercent.org
Climate Week NYC 2026
Hosted by Climate Group, Climate Week NYC is the world’s largest climate event and a global platform for advancing climate and economic progress at scale. Each year, it brings together more than 100,000 people across 1,000+ events in New York City. From global leaders shaping markets and policy to communities driving change on the ground, it connects the people and ideas building a low-carbon economy and a more secure future. This year’s Climate Week NYC will focus on the energy, the impact, and the action that we drive together.