Brett Dennen first wooed us with his soulful, folky pop sound and thoughtful lyrics, but it was his commitment to social change that made us fall head over heels. The 28-year-old musician, who’s now back in the studio working on the follow-up to his breakout hit record So Much More and gearing up for an early summer tour, recently chatted with us about doing his part to make the world a better place.
Can you tell us about your Love Speaks initiative and how your concerts are helping to benefit communities?
The basic mission [of Love Speaks] is to turn a concert into a place where fans come not only to hear music but to be exposed to an organization that is doing good work in the community, whether social or environmental. Fans on the websites get together and tell me who we should invite to the shows. They take control over it and make it more of a community thing — the music is just a good excuse to make it all happen.
What keeps you focused, motivated and hopeful?
Before I was a musician, I worked in education and with nonprofits, and I’ve done a lot of work with youth, and that’s always really inspiring. [With San Francisco’s Mosaic Project] we bring together schools in different neighborhoods of different races and economic statuses and take them to camp for a week where they educate each other about who they are and play games and do activities that break down stereotypes and prejudice and build community. I’m also a sucker for idealism and positivity, and so seeing someone like Barack Obama who comes across with such optimism makes me really hopeful.
What global issues do you think deserve more public attention?
Yikes! There are so many. Some of the most drastic concerns are genocide and human rights abuses all around the world, and corruption in politics and corporations. A lot of it is tied to America, whether through the weapons we manufacture, through how we employ people worldwide, or where our money is going. But first and foremost, it really doesn’t matter what issue you get behind, just as long as you’re doing something.