Eco Amplifier: This Week, Billy Otto
Folk and indie music has had a long history of social awareness and activism. While some go off in a different direction, consistently, it has been artists operating within these genres that have carried the flag of environmentalism, anti-racism, and support for civil rights.
A key part of music is bringing people together. We can only achieve lasting change by working together to achieve our goals. Singer-songwriter Billy Otto has been doing this for the past 11 years from his Byron Bay base and has been remarkably successful singing and speaking across 50 countries to thousands of fans.
Billy Otto started creating stripped-back minimalist indie folk tunes and has since expanded his repertoire, including more psychedelic alt-rock influences. In his songwriting, he addresses love, mental health, and environmentalism, which works quite well with the dreamy, ethereal vocals he lays down.
See also: Eco Amplifier: The Environmental Music Prize 2023.
His environmentalism doesn’t stop with words, though; Billy Otto has lent his work to environmental campaigns such as the Surfrider Campaign.
His appreciation of our beautiful natural world stems from his passion as a surfer, and he wrote a song about his love of the water called Can’t Take The Ocean Out Of Me. This song was also his submission to the Environmental Music Prize, in which he was a finalist for 2022.
His latest release, The Sound, is available on all streaming platforms if you want to check it out, and you can find Billy Otto’s touring dates here.