Reservoir Gives Back
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‘Tis the season to give thanks and give back. Our catalog is rich with some of the world’s greatest talents, who utilize their powerful platforms for more than just music. We’re highlighting a few of members of the Reservoir family who dedicate their time and efforts to helping struggling communities, standing up for the voiceless, inspiring others, and impacting the world in the most beautiful ways. Read more about their generosity below:
2 Chainz is as known for his humanitarianism as he is for his slick rhymes, these days. In 2012, the rapper founded the non-profit, T.R.U. Foundation, which aims to enrich the lives of those in the Atlanta community and surrounding areas. Chainz donated profits from last year’s wildly successful “Dabbing Santa” Ugly Christmas Sweater line to the Foundation, which helped secure a home for a struggling family of eleven. He also funded 15-year old aspiring tubaist Joshua Williams’ trip to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall, when he couldn’t afford to travel there himself. This year’s Dabbing Santa line has expanded to new designs and a new mission statement: “to help as many people as we possibly can.” Fans are encouraged to submit stories about people in need, from which specific people and causes will be selected to receive donations. But wait—there’s more! Just last week, Chainz announced that proceeds from his new CEO Millionaires clothing line will go towards helping homeless veterans who have fallen on hard times, stating “We gotta use these platforms for good. Money isn’t everything but I can take my opportunities and turn it into opportunities to change lives.”
After struggling with addiction and bipolar disorder and in gratitude for the many interventions made in his behalf, Creed frontman Scott Stapp made it his life’s mission to devote himself to helping others through various foundations and causes. Donating all profits from Creed’s hit single “With Arms Wide Open, Stapp founded the “With Arms Wide Open Foundation” in 2000 to benefit underprivileged children and families around the world. To date, the foundation has awarded over $1 million to a variety of causes, including the American Red Cross. Alongside his wife Jaclyn, who founded CHARM (Children are Magical) Foundation, Stapp is devoted to bringing awareness of children’s issues and provide underprivileged youth with the tools to enrich their lives. 2016 saw Stapp partner with MusiCares to raise money for addiction recovery and health services for music people in need, in addition to working with ChildFund International in which proceeds of his solo Proof Of Life tour helped to sponsor an entire village in Philippines.
Singer-Songwriter Lucy Rose uses her music to spread messages of acceptance and equality for all. The 2015 music video for her single, “Til The End” promoted her passion for gender equality and featured Lucy as a member of Boiler Room Ladies Football Collective, a grassroots women’s football team which focuses on empowering women through sports. She explained in an email newsletter to her fans, “the women’s England team have been hugely inspiring not just to me but for all those young girls out there who love playing football and get told that it makes you boisterous and unfeminine. It certainly doesn’t make you either of those things and since making my music video I’ve joined a girls’ football team and feel normal for wanting to play football.” Lucy also partnered with ActionAid UK to support young women worldwide at a Beti Utsav celebration in Delhi and took part in DICE’s Girls Music Day, which aims to inspire young women to become involved in the music industry as artists and executives.
Moreover, her recent music video for “Nebraska,” featuring popular UK actor Danny Dyer performing in drag, highlighted Lucy’s support of the idea of freedom of expression, as the themes pushed for gender identity and acceptance. She says, “The video to me isn’t about Danny being a drag queen, but a freedom of expression and a form of escapism. I’m sure there’s many things we all want to do but we are worried that it means we won’t fit in. Let everyone be who they want and don’t make them justify their choices.”
Lucy is also partnered with human rights organization Amnesty UK earlier this year to support the refugee crisis. Alongside fellow musicians Rae Morris, Jack Steadman from Bombay Bicycle Club, former Razorlight member Björn Ågren and Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Lucy wrote and recorded “Under The Same Sun”, a song aimed to raise awareness of the refugee crisis. Amnesty UK also appointed Lucy as a 2016 judge of their Youth Awards, to recognize human rights activism in young people.
Musician and composer Nitin Sawhney recently partnered with UK based anti-bullying organizationThe Diana Award, for their anti-bullying week campaign, a cause close to his heart. Sawhney revealed that he initially turned to music to cope with being bullied in school, and the charity estimates that 54% of all people in the UK and a staggering 62% of 16-24 year olds have been bullied at some point. For the organization’s Shake Bullying Off campaign, Sawhney recorded a video of himself playing electric guitar, recalling, “music always helped me to have a wider perspective. I grew up receiving so much racist abuse that I began to think it was normal for Asian people. Music was my sanctuary, my playground and my strength to push back.”
