Secretary of State Antony Blinken and YouTube Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen announced the inaugural roster of U.S. Global Music Ambassadors on June 24 as part of a U.S. Department of State-YouTube Global Music Diplomacy Partnership.
The roster includes Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, Jelly Roll, Kane Brown, Grace Bowers, BRELAND, Denyce Graves, Herbie Hancock, Armani White, Teddy Swims and Lainey Wilson.
Each Global Music Ambassador will use their music to bring people together and promote peace worldwide. The Department and YouTube will announce additional U.S. Global Music Ambassadors in the months ahead.
Each artist was chosen because they "exude excellence in their fields and have demonstrated a commitment to public service and giving back." Beginning this year, U.S. Global Music Ambassadors will engage audiences, ranging from youth to marginalized populations to world leaders, to elevate music as a diplomatic platform to expand access to education, economic opportunity and equity, and inclusion.
Their efforts will build on the historic legacy of the Jazz Ambassadors of the 1950s and 1960s, which included the likes of iconic American musicians and artists including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck and Sarah Vaughan.
