Lasting Legacy: COP28 Official Song A Call To Put Aside Differences For Earth

At the end of a day of discussions at the COP28 Summit on Sunday, the lights at Expo City Dubai hosting the fortnight-long conference dimmed as 13 singers arrived on stage to perform the charity single ‘Lasting Legacy’. The song is now available on major platforms.

It served as a call to delegates to put aside differences for the greater good of the planet. A music video is set to be released soon, and all proceeds shall go to the International Rescue Committee and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Marmarchi’s Notable Role Behind COP28’s ‘Lasting Legacy’

Performed in 12 languages, lyrics of the official song of the event point to how meaningful change is made only through a collective effort. The international artists include Emirati singer Balqees, Indian actress Anushka Sen and Chinese pop group Boy Story.

Corralling all that talent together is the Iraqi-British music industry veteran Taymoor Marmarchi, who has pulled off similar feats with ‘Right Where I Am Supposed To Be’, the official song for the Special Olympics World Games hosted in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Speaking to The National as part of an exclusive interview, Marmarchi recalls being focused from the beginning itself because of the time frame. “Since the song needed to have that anthemic and global appeal we knew there was really one producer we should go to.”

That person is a prominent Swedish-Moroccan producer and songwriter, RedOne, who recorded last year’s Qatar World Cup official song ‘Dreamers’ with K-pop star Jungkook. With his services secured alongside Irish lyricist Pat Devine, the next step was to find the right talent.

But Was All The Effort Worth It?

Marmarchi said they wanted to find artists from the global south, a region that has been disproportionately impacted by climate change. Such an approach had a positive aspect attached, he notes, adding he didn’t have to spend time searching for an A-list name.

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But was all the effort worth it, considering event anthems usually have a not-so-great record when it comes to becoming international hits? Marmarchi said it is more about unifying people for a cause and providing that sense of inspiration.