"One Candle" soundtracked historic Empire State Building projections of endangered species
Hear Sia's "One Candle" and Antony's "Manta Ray" off the soundtrack to new documentary 'Racing Extinction.'
On August 1st, digital images of endangered species were projected onto the side of the Empire State Building. It was the first time moving images had been projected on the historic NYC skyscraper, according to The New York Times, and it was soundtracked by new songs from Sia and Antony of Antony and the Johnsons created with composer J. Ralph. "One Candle," the massive and upbeat Sia song off the soundtrack to the upcoming documentary Racing Extinction, is now available to hear in a new trailer for the film premiering on Rolling Stone.
"The whole projection event happened live in front of thousands of people and was choreographed in sync to 'One Candle' and [Antony track] 'Manta Ray,'" J. Ralph, who scored the entire documentary, tells Rolling Stone. "Both songs are essential to the film's narrative and integral to the awareness campaign worldwide. Our hope was that we could inspire people with the understanding that every individual has the power to create global change from even one small idea."
Racing Extinction, which will premiere on Discovery December 2nd, explores how the human footprint has exarcerbated the extinction of half the planet's species, many of whom are at risk to be fully extinct by the end of the century. Sia and Ralph's "One Candle" is a shimmering and optimistic call to action for a cause at the forefront of both artists' minds. "As an animal advocate, how could I pass up an opportunity to turn the volume up on this issue?" Sia says. "I am proud to lend my voice to this important film."
Antony and J. Ralph's intimate ballad "Manta Ray" is also available to hear in full. Director Louie Psihoyos, who also helmed The Cove, was looking for a very specific type of vocalist to appear on the soundtrack. "I remember Louie and I having a discussion once about what the world would sound like without any music or sounds from nature [and] what it would sound like if there was only one voice left on the planet," J. Ralph recalls. "If I had to pick one artist to represent the fate of humanity, it would be Antony."
Like The Cove, Psihoyos created Racing Extinction in conjunction with the Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS). More information on the documentary, the challenges predicted for the future and potential solutions are available at Racing Extinction's official site.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO "ONE CANDLE" written and performed by J. RALPH & SIA
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO "MANTA RAY" written and performed by J. RALPH & ANTONY hyperurl.co/qhb5io