Hong Kong, April 7, 2017
Dear Coldplay,
Chris, Guy, Jonny, Will,
R42,
When I went to see you in Singapore last Saturday, April 1, my expectations were high. Very high. After all, I had been in love with your tunes for the past 20 years. There was so much energy in that stadium, R42 wrote about it as well, and I am grateful I got to experience it. Seeing you live for the first time was a dream come true, but I had no idea, how inspired seeing this concert would leave me, also for my work.
During the concert, you mentioned the crises in Syria and called on the audience to send positive thoughts there. It made me think of my interview with David Begbie, who organises Refugee Runs, impactful Simulation Programmes at the World Economic Forum to raise awareness for the underprivileged communities they support.
Or that picture you tweeted afterwards with your fan holding up a banner about how your music helped to get trough depression.
It reminded me of my talk with Jamie Chiu who shared her vision for her social enterprise to help teenagers counter depression and anxiety.
There were so many subtle impactful messages during your concert, right from the start with excerpts of Charlie Chaplin’s last speech from The Great Dictator and later on the video clip of Mohammed Ali. The LGBTQ+ flag in Chris’ pocket, in Singapore where legal rights for the community are lacking. It made me think of The Economist Pride and Prejudice event I went to recently and where many representatives from Singapore shared their personal struggles and challenges when it comes to their rights.
My vision for #impact Podcast is to make a lot of noise about the organisations I feature on the show. I want to support organisations that usually don’t have the budgets for huge marketing campaigns. Support Social and green startups just starting out, charities and NGOs who do brilliant work, get heard. With #impact I want to give them a platform to share their journeys in a personal way, with their voice.
I know it is a long shot, you are on tour and you get a million requests each day but if you do have 30 minutes to spare for a Skype interview with #impact Podcast I would love to ask you about your work with Oxfam and if I did get all your social #impact references during your Singapore concert right.
Usually, I only interview my guests in person. I just love the intimacy of an in-person conversation. However, I would make an exception for you. Jokes aside, let me know if anyone can spare a few minutes for a Skype interview with me.
I am sure our listeners would love to hear what advice you would give (aspiring) change-makers out there.