Music for the Sea: Coco Francavilla’s Re-Oceaning Journey

Music is one human endeavour that requires no justification. It doesn’t need to solve a problem, save a life, or advance civilisation in any measurable way. And yet, throughout history, it has done all of those things. Music has fueled revolutions, helped topple oppressive systems, and given voice to movements that might otherwise have gone unheard. Yet the opposite has also been true: the power of music has, at times, been used to divide, to mislead, to uphold the status quo. But in the hands of those fighting for justice, it can become a catalyst for unity, hope, and progress.

“Music has always been a driver of cultural change,” says composer, producer, and sound engineer Coco Francavilla. “Look at the various causes and movements we’ve had in recent decades – civil rights, famine, anti-war protests, punk, rave culture, music has always been at the forefront of social justice. So why not use it now to address the climate crisis?”

To mark World Oceans Day 2025, we spoke with Francavilla about her evolving practice, one that blends music, science, and storytelling in service of marine conservation. She discusses her latest venture, MusicForTheSea, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of endangered marine ecosystems through sound. To accompany this article, Francavilla has also shared a collection of samples taken from MusicForTheSea’s forthcoming SonicOcean platform, which brings together musicians, artists, and marine scientists to investigate the voice of the sea.

Download the SonicOcean - Soundscape Samples

Francavilla’s background includes a classical guitar education at Rome’s Santa Cecilia Conservatory, a degree in architecture with a focus on acoustic physics, and contributions to major film scores, including Blade Runner 2049, The Hunger Games, and The Beguiled. She got her first significant breakthrough after meeting trip-hop pioneer Tricky. “I had the chance to go backstage and give a demo to his drummer”, she shares. “The next day, Tricky called me and asked, ‘Who's the singer?’” I told him it was me. Two months later, I was in LA recording in big studios and touring the world with him.” 

Despite that initial success, Francavilla soon realized the spotlight wasn’t her true calling. “I didn’t want to live life constantly touring”, she reflects. Instead, she shifted to music production, sound engineering, and composing for film and media, discovering the power of music as a storytelling tool. “I realized the potential in music beyond releasing records when associated with other forms of media”, she notes.

Another transformation came when Francavilla eventually moved to Ibiza. “I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of music, science, and nature,” she explains. “When I discovered the underwater seagrass, Posidonia oceanica, everything shifted.” It was here that Francavilla’s concept of ReOceaning began to take shape – a call to restore our connection with the sea, not as something distant or separate, but as an integral part of who we are.

Posidonia Oceanica and the Birth of MusicForTheSea

Posidonia oceanica is a species of seagrass that is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. “When you swim amongst it, there’s this very slow movement, akin to the sound we might hear in the womb. It’s very primordial, very ancestral”, Francavilla suggests.

The Posidonia oceanica meadows between Ibiza and Formentera are some of the oldest living organisms on Earth, however, these meadows are threatened by tourism, climate change, and pollution. “They are considered the lungs of the Mediterranean”, Francavilla says. “Scientists discovered that it absorbs 15 times more CO₂ per square meter than the Amazon rainforest. It acts as a nursery for marine life, providing shelter for countless species. It’s a vital ecosystem for biodiversity, it protects our coastline from erosion, and is also responsible for the beautiful, crystal clear waters we have in Ibiza – that's what all these people come here for.”

Moved by the beauty of this marine ecosystem, Francavilla invited some fellow artists in her network to come and experience Posidonia first-hand and create a compilation album that would help raise awareness of the conservation issues faced by the region.

“I reached out to friends like Rafael Anton Irisarri, Grand River, and Sofie Birch,” she says. “What began as a simple album project quickly grew into something much bigger. We realized we had the opportunity to become a beacon for marine conservation through the power of music – driven by the belief that local action can spark global change. And that's how MusicForTheSea was born.” 

Francavilla describes MusicForTheSea as an organization bridging the worlds of artistic expression and environmental science. “There’s a strong connection”, she explains. “I believe that scientists illuminate the way our world works, but it's the artists and musicians who are the storytellers. They turn these concepts into things that can touch people emotionally."

The Posidonia Soundscape Project

Central to MusicForTheSea’s work is the Posidonia Soundscapes project, recently recognized as a United Nations Ocean Decade UNESCO-endorsed initiative. The transdisciplinary endeavor brings artists to Ibiza for residencies where they collaborate closely with marine researchers. “They participate in ocean expeditions and field recording exercises”, Francavilla explains. “But the key is collaboration – the artists work directly with scientists. The goal is to use underwater acoustic recordings not only to inspire music and foster ocean reconnection but also to support scientific research on the impacts of excessive tourism and climate change on marine ecosystems.”

Francavilla has already hosted a roster of artists through MusicForTheSea’s residencies, each bringing a unique perspective to the project. “We had the honor of welcoming Suzanne Ciani last autumn,” she recalls. “She was fascinated by how spatial audio could expand the sea’s natural resonance. Rafael Anton Irisarri found inspiration in the sky, listening to the waves from above, while Grand River was drawn to the tactile experience of touching the salt and Posidonia seagrass. Every artist connects with nature in their own way, and that’s what makes this so special.”

With upcoming residencies from KMRU, Caterina Barbieri, and Lyra Pramuk, the project continues to grow. “Lyra Pramuk is particularly interested in sonification – translating environmental data into music”, Francavilla says. “There’s no single path here. Every artist finds their own way to engage with the marine environment. I envision building a community of artists who become ‘Blue Ambassadors’ for life. The Posidonia Soundscapes Project is a major step towards that vision. It will culminate in a full album release in 2026, featuring artists like Lyra Pramuk, Telefon Tel Aviv and Loscil.”

Strengthening the Cause Through Scientific and Cultural Partnerships 

While MusicForTheSea now partners with several scientific bodies like University of Cádiz Marine Research Institute, these connections weren’t always part of the project – they had to be built. “When I started, I had no ties to the scientific community”, Francavilla reveals. “Now, through such partnerships, we can integrate artists into real scientific studies. We now have access to the Mediterranean’s largest zero-emission sailboat, Galaxie, which is led by scientists collecting data for climate action. This gives us the ability to conduct underwater field recordings, deploy hydrophones, and study anthropogenic noise pollution. We’re also planning an expedition with the Ocean Decade team to train artists in scientific methodologies for recording underwater sound.”

MusicForTheSea is also expanding its reach through public art installations, audiovisual projects, and partnerships with festivals like MUTEK. The organization is gearing up to participate in the 2025 United Nations Ocean Decade Conference, where they will present TIDAL SHIFTS – an audiovisual exhibition and symposium bridging ocean science, sound, art, and community engagement.

A Changing Political Backdrop 

As recent political priorities shift and climate action takes a back seat in key regions, the work of organizations like MusicForTheSea has never felt more vital. “I’ve come to understand how deeply the climate crisis is tied to social justice,” Francavilla reflects. “Especially since marginalized communities are the most affected. If we can unite and create a behavioral shift, it could serve as a beacon of change. I always tell my daughter, ‘When I was a kid, teachers used to smoke in class.’ She’s shocked. But that was a behavioral shift. What once seemed normal is now unthinkable. The same kind of transformation is possible with sustainability, but it starts at the individual level and grows into collective action. Real change is rooted in communities, and with the tools we have today, grassroots movements can become a powerful force for global impact.”

History shows us, however, that to enforce real societal change, governments also have to step in and legislate. If we use Francavilla's smoking ban analogy as an example, the shift didn’t happen overnight. “It started with awareness, then data, and finally legislation”, she says. “The same needs to happen with climate action. But how do we get legislators to act?” 

The answer, she believes, lies in the interplay between data, storytelling, and cultural influence. Scientific research provides the hard facts, but raw numbers alone don’t move the masses. “We need cultural voices behind it”, Francavilla suggests. “A high-profile DJ, for example, posting a selfie in a private jet doesn’t spark change, but if that DJ posted from a zero-emissions sailing boat, talking about ocean conservation, that could inspire people to think.”

In Ibiza, Francavilla also notes the pressing issue of chemical pollution from sun creams, which severely harm marine ecosystems. “Local governments dismiss the problem, saying, ‘Prove it.’ Francavilla says. “So, campaigners are now measuring water quality to show the direct impact of tourism. Governments need data to acknowledge reality. We need scientists, artists, storytellers, and activists working together. The institutions follow when the people demand it.”

Shifting the Narrative Around Jet-Set Culture

Despite growing awareness of sustainability, the jet-set lifestyle often associated with music culture is still widely coveted and fetishized. Major artists continue to gain social capital by posting selfies aboard private jets and with other symbols of luxury and status – a signal that, for many, this high-consumption lifestyle is still seen as “the dream.”

Francavilla draws a parallel to smoking once again: “There was a time when no one thought twice about lighting up in a restaurant. Now, it’s unthinkable. That kind of behavioral shift needs to happen in music, where an artist would feel ashamed to post from a private jet.”

In the ambient and experimental scenes, Francavilla suggests there’s already a heightened awareness. But in commercial electronic music, where superstar DJs are treated like deities, the shift is harder, she says. “Many of these artists live completely detached from nature. They travel by private jet, stay in luxury hotels, and get chauffeured straight to the event. It’s difficult to inspire change when they’re so far removed from the world they’re impacting.”

Francavilla hopes that encouraging artists and music industry professionals to reconnect with nature may help to spark deeper, personal shifts. “When you engage firsthand with nature, you naturally start caring. That awareness follows”, she says.

MusicForTheSea: Turning Art into Action in Ibiza

Ibiza is often seen as a party destination, but visitors need to understand that it’s also home to one of the world’s most vital marine ecosystems. “Local impact is devastating the Posidonia seagrass”, Francavilla stresses. “The Mediterranean is warming 20% faster than the global average, and we’ve already lost 34% of its seagrass meadows. We don’t have much margin left. We need to act now.”

Yet, despite the urgency, ocean conservation remains underfunded. “Only 1% of philanthropic donations go toward the ocean”, Francavilla says. “That tells you everything. There’s almost no awareness of how central the ocean is to mitigating climate change.”

By building relationships with policymakers and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) MusicForTheSea hopes to change that while embedding ocean awareness into Ibiza’s cultural fabric. They’ve partnered with local festivals, marine conservation conferences like Foro Marino, and organizations such as Ibiza Preservation and True World. There’s also growing engagement with cultural and mindfulness communities, as well as industry voices like DJ Mag and the International Music Summit (IMS).

But there’s a major roadblock: Ibiza’s club industry. “It’s a monopoly”, Francavilla says. “These are the people who have the power to make real change, but many are resistant. I don’t just want financial support – I want them to take actual steps to protect the island’s ecosystem.”

One potential solution Francavilla hopes to put forward is the Blue Ticket Initiative, which would divert a percentage of club ticket revenues into local marine conservation. But shifting priorities in a profit-driven industry isn’t easy. “When you arrive at Ibiza’s airport, you’re bombarded with massive club ads,” Francavilla says. “Not a single space is dedicated to raising awareness about the island’s environment. It’s all about money. Tourism brings in revenue, but at what cost?”

Beyond advertising, plastic waste, energy consumption, and unsustainable touring practices continue to be unchecked. Francavilla sees an opportunity to collaborate with Earth Percent, an organization founded by Brian Eno to push the music industry toward climate action. “If we can strengthen our partnership with them, it will make it harder for clubs to ignore us. And once we convince one major club to adopt sustainability practices, the others may follow.”

How Your Music Can Help Marine Conservation

Francavilla sees a strong connection between music technology and climate science while emphasizing that participation in this field is not limited to any particular genre. She notes, however, that ambient and experimental music, with its focus on space, texture, and organic soundscapes, naturally lends itself to conveying the ocean's vastness and fragility. Artists in these genres often incorporate field recordings and natural sounds, creating auditory meditations that immerse listeners in environmental narratives. “The repetitive and cyclical structures of techno also mirror the patterns of nature”, Francavilla suggests. “By implementing modular synthesis, sound design, or Max for Live – particularly with a focus on generative patterns and sonification – you can directly transform naturally occurring elements in our environment.”

Francavilla urges music makers to begin with small, intentional steps. “Sustainability doesn’t have to feel overwhelming,” she says. “Some people think they need to completely transform their careers to contribute to climate action. That’s not true. It starts with your daily life.”

One way to begin is by engaging with projects that connect creativity and conservation. MusicForTheSea’s SonicOcean platform, for example, will serve as a repository where music makers can download curated underwater soundscape recordings. These include sounds from Posidonia meadows, cetaceans, and Arctic waters; all offered as inspiration for new musical works and a gateway to deeper ocean literacy.

Francavilla also encourages artists to explore a range of everyday choices that can have a meaningful impact:

• Make sustainable touring choices: reduce unnecessary flights, advocate for greener event production, and request “blue tech riders” (e.g., no single-use plastic on stage).

• Incorporate environmental themes into your music: use bioacoustics, field recordings, or storytelling to spotlight nature’s role.

• Support initiatives like Earth Percent: registering nature as a “songwriter” on your tracks can redirect royalties to environmental causes.

• Leverage your platform: Whether you have 100 followers or a million, talking about climate action helps normalize it. “Music culture is a global movement,” Francavilla says. “It has always driven grassroots change – from the civil rights era to anti-war protests. We need to harness that energy again.”

The Ocean is Earth's Lifeblood and Climate Regulator

For Francavilla, the mission is clear. “Humanity is inextricably interconnected with the ocean. The ocean is our lifeblood. It covers 71% of our planet, it gives us around 50% of the oxygen we breathe or more. So even if you live somewhere like Berlin, every second breath you take comes from the ocean. Earth temperature is our strongest ally in mitigating climate change, yet less than 3% of our oceans are truly protected. The climate crisis we are facing is directly related to the health of the ocean. If the ocean suffers, we suffer. We can’t afford to wait for institutions to act. The power of change lies in our hands. If we come together as a community, we can use music as a catalyst – not just for awareness, but for real, lasting action.”

Keep up with MusicForTheSea: Instagram, Website

Text and interview by Joseph Joyce