By FYI Staff
The Feel Out Loud Canadian music collective's recording of an anthemic single as part of an initiative to fundraise $300M for Kids Help Phone’s e-mental health service has earned uncommonly strong support from Canada’s media and the public since its release a week ago today.
First-week statistics for the youths in distress campaign song place it as the most added song on radio according to Mediabase data, and it generated 500,000 YouTube views in the past six days and 150,000 Spotify spins. According to organizers, the song has also generated over 77-million media impressions.
The song itself is a hybrid adaptation of lyrics from Serena Ryder’s What I Wouldn’t Do and Leela Gilday’s Juno-winning song North Star Calling.
Produced by legendary Canadian music producer Bob Ezrin (who’s produced such artists as Lou Reed, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper) and executive produced by Randy Lennox (Loft Entertainment) and Carrie Mudd (Peacock Alley Entertainment), What I Wouldn’t Do (North Star Calling) was one of the top all-format music adds at radio this past week in Canada, and has won wide support on mainstream TV and from online news media.
“What I Wouldn’t Do is a song about love, and I think learning to love ourselves is our most important journey in life,” shares Serena Ryder. “It’s an honour to reimagine the song with Leela Gilday, Bob Ezrin and all of the amazing musicians across Canada. I want to let young people know that it’s okay not to be okay, and there are caring, supportive people who are there for them, with no judgment, no issue too big or too small. I hope as you listen to this song, you will be reminded we all have our own struggles and needs, but help is available. Kids Help Phone is there”.
Adding firepower to this extraordinary campaign is that it has universal support from a sweep of independent artists and music labels, plus the backing of the Big Three (UMC, Sony and Warner Music), and the combined resources of Spotify Canada, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Bell Media, Cineplex, Google Music, TikTok, Meta, SiriusXM Canada, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Below is a spoken word intro about the campaign that includes a powerful statement from Buffy Ste. Marie on the intro.
