ABSTRACT
This essay examines two songs with environmental themes: Maná’s “Cuando los ángeles lloran” (1995) and Belinda’s “Gaia” (2010). It is a study in contrasts. Maná’s song, concerts, and activism rouse audiences to political action while Belinda makes a more generic environmental appeal. Maná have successfully linked art to activism, making Belinda’s paean to the planet seems somewhat superficial in comparison. However, Belinda’s “Gaia” represents an act of considerable musical courage given global pop’s musical conventions, one that could open space for lesser-known artists to evoke themes of sustainability, biodiversity, and environmental justice. Maná and Belinda perform very different ecopolitics, but both examples provide useful lessons regarding the power of music as environmental communication.
