Whale Wise 
Wash over me
The choir sings. The whales sing.
A World Ocean Day 2026 partnership project supporting Whale Wise
Wash Over Me is an original charity single born from a shared love of the ocean. The project weaves together 140 human voices with the songs of humpback whales recorded beneath the waters of Finnafjörður, North East Iceland.
Composed by Hughie Gavin in collaboration with Social Singing Choir, the single will be released in partnership with World Ocean Day 2026, raising funds for Whale Wise. The single is accompanied by a cinematic short film by wildlife photographer Rebecca Douglas.
At its heart, this is a story about connection and shared love of the ocean.
Buy the single
Buy Wash Over Me now and receive Drifting Ocean, a bonus track, mixing human voices and humpback whale song into an expansive soundscape. You’ll receive the single the moment it releases on World Ocean Day, Monday 8th June 2026.
Album Artwork Credit – Lily Mixe
Join us for the online premiere & live chat
Wed 10th June – 20:00 BST
We’re excited to share the short film accompanying “Wash Over Me,” which features the story of Social Singing Choir & Whale Wise created by Rebecca Douglas.
We’ll open the live chat from 19:45 to answer questions, share stories from behind the project and welcome everyone as they arrive.
The ocean invites us to immerse ourselves. When the film begins at 20:00, we recommend watching in full screen for the most immersive experience. Once the film has premiered, we’d love to welcome you back to the chat to share your reflections and questions.
How Wash Over Me came to life
A collective voice shaped by the sea
Wash Over Me began with a question.
Hughie Gavin, award-winning composer, producer and founder of Social Singing Choir, invited all 140 choir members to share the words the ocean evokes for them. Memories, emotions, sensations and fragments of feeling.
Those submissions became the foundation of the song’s lyrics, woven together into a single unified lyric shaped entirely by the community it celebrates.
What emerged was not simply a song about the sea, but a collective remembering of our relationship with it.
Singing with the whales
The single features recordings of humpback whales gathered by Whale Wise researchers in Finnafjörður, North East Iceland.
A hydrophone was deployed in the fjord for an entire year, listening beneath the surface of one of the most remote stretches of the North Atlantic. When the recordings were recovered, they revealed extensive humpback whale song resonating through the darkness of the fjord.
Those recordings now sit at the heart of Wash Over Me.
The choir sings. The whales sing.
Two worlds, carried by sound.
Why Finnafjörður matters
Finnafjörður is a remote bay in northeast Iceland with very little coastal infrastructure. Whale Wise has provided the first evidence that it may be an important habitat for humpback whales.
Why Finnafjörður matters
Finnafjörður is a remote bay in northeast Iceland with very little coastal infrastructure. Whale Wise has provided the first evidence that it may be an important habitat for humpback whales.
Using photo identification, drones and underwater acoustic monitoring, our team is building a clearer picture of how whales use this fjord across the seasons.
In winter, whale song echoes through Finnafjörður. With limited daylight and near-total darkness for part of the year, acoustic monitoring is essential for confirming whale presence.
In spring and summer, humpbacks and dolphins return to feed. In 2025, we recorded dozens of humpback whales using complex bubble nets to corral prey, a behaviour rarely documented in Iceland and possibly never at this scale in this region.
This is a rich and important marine ecosystem, and we are still only beginning to understand it.
By supporting Wash Over Me, you are directly supporting Whale Wise’s research and conservation work to better understand and protect these extraordinary marine ecosystems.
Buy Wash Over Me now and get instant download of bonus track ‘Drifting Ocean’ plus the single & complete album the moment it’s released.
The whale named Wash
Each humpback whale tells a story.
Through photo identification using drones and drone-mounted LiDAR technology, Whale Wise has built a dataset of over 630 humpback whales around Iceland, mapping their movements, their histories and crucially any evidence of scarring from entanglement. When a humpback whale dives, it usually lifts its tail fluke to reveal a pattern – each humpback has a unique tail fluke pattern, just like a fingerprint. Each sighting adds another chapter. This is how we come to know them, and how we build the longitudinal data to advocate for and protect them.
Every single sold funds vital ocean conservation discoveries.
Meet Wash
During the first day of field season, on a day too windy to gather data using the drone, we captured some photos of humpback whales from land. We photographed a humpback whale we did not recognise. The tail fluke image was submitted to Happywhale, a global whale identification database. There were no matches.
It is possible this whale had never been recorded before.
Because the tail fluke carries the shape of a wave, we named this whale Wash, after Wash Over Me, since Wash was sighted in Finnafjörður, the same fjord where the whale song featured in the single was recorded.
We hoped to see Wash again to be able to gather that aerial data to report on their size and body condition. On Rebecca’s last day with the team, something extraordinary happened. We located a group of humpback whales and suddenly one started breaching, a breathtaking behaviour where humpback whales launch their entire body out of the water.
As this whale took a dive, it lifted its fluke and instantly we knew, it was Wash, in almost the exact same place we’d first witnessed them. A rewarding moment, as we were able to gather the aerial data we hoped for. This data shows Wash measured 9.7 metres long, making them a sub-adult, a young whale, between 5-10 years old. For Iceland, this is a typical size for humpback whales we observe.
That majestic moment of Wash breaching was captured by Rebecca Douglas and features in the cinematic short film, released alongside the single on World Ocean Day.
Every purchase of Wash Over Me funds the research that makes discoveries like this possible and builds the vital data that helps to protect humpback whales.
In partnership with World Ocean Day 2026
We are honoured to be releasing Wash Over Me in partnership with World Ocean Day 2026.
In partnership with World Ocean Day 2026
We are honoured to be releasing Wash Over Me in partnership with World Ocean Day 2026.
This year’s action theme, Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet, aligns deeply with Whale Wise’s mission to help protect whales and the habitats they depend upon through long-term scientific research, conservation and storytelling.
From the choir’s home of Margate, whose coastline is part of the North East Kent Marine Protected Area, to the fjords of Iceland, this project is rooted in the belief that healthy oceans depend upon protecting the ecosystems that sustain life beneath the surface.
Through music, storytelling and conservation, Wash Over Me hopes to inspire deeper connection with the ocean and amplify the call to safeguard these extraordinary marine environments for future generations.
About World Ocean Day
World Ocean Day unites and rallies the world to protect and restore our blue planet through education, collaboration and collective action. Coordinated globally by The Ocean Project, World Ocean Day reaches millions of people each year through events, campaigns and partnerships that inspire deeper connection with the ocean and action to help protect it.
Listen. Share. Help protect whales.
Every stream, share, ticket and donation helps support Whale Wise’s research and conservation work.
Together, we can help protect the habitats these whales depend upon and inspire deeper connection with the ocean we all share.
Buy Wash Over Me now and get instant download of bonus track ‘Drifting Ocean’ plus the single & complete album the moment it’s released.
Listen. Share. Help protect whales.
Every stream, share, ticket and donation helps support Whale Wise’s research and conservation work.
Together, we can help protect the habitats these whales depend upon and inspire deeper connection with the ocean we all share.
Buy Wash Over Me now and get instant download of bonus track ‘Drifting Ocean’ plus the single & complete album the moment it’s released.
Add your voice
Wash Over Me was created through collective voice, from the words shared by 140 choir members to the songs of humpback whales recorded beneath the waters of the North East Iceland. Now, we are inviting others to add their voice too.
Alongside the single release, every purchase of Wash Over Me includes a digital storytelling and advocacy pack designed to help supporters carry the story further into the world. Filled with shareable visual storytelling assets, the pack encourages people to become ocean storytellers, amplifying the wonder, beauty and importance of our blue planet through their own voice, creativity and connection.
At the heart of the project is a belief that storytelling can deepen our relationship with the ocean and inspire collective action to help protect it. Through art, conversation and shared experience, we hope to spark a growing grassroots chorus of ocean advocates united by a love of awe, curiosity and care for the living world.
The choir sings. The whales sing. Now we invite you to add your voice too.
Meet the collaborators
About the Social Singing Choir
The Social Singing Choir is not your average choir and our aim is simple. To be a choir within the Margate community that sings great music with a relaxed and fun approach. No auditions, no need for previous experience. The whole idea of the S.S.C is to sing some great songs together and have a good time. In 2025, the choir was the main support for HAIM at their comeback UK show. The choir also featured on two Swedish Grammy-nominated tracks with artist Joshua Idehen. Previous projects include an EP released via Moshi Moshi Records, a BBC Radio 1 Hottest Record feature with Swim Deep, and contributions to soundtracks including Catherine Tate’s Netflix series. The group also took part in the award-winning Up In Smoke campaign for WWF in 2023 and has performed on bills with SELF ESTEEM and Mitski and as part of campaigns for brands like Very.com and events such as the Turner Prize.
About Hughie Gavin
Hughie Gavin is an award-winning composer, arranger and producer based in Margate. His work spans global campaigns for WWF and World Ocean Day, commissions for the Turner Prize, choral collaborations with Joshua Idehen, United Freedom Collective and Steven Wilson, and scoring work for HBO, BBC, ITV, Netflix and Channel 4. Alongside running Institute Studios and directing The Social Singing Choir, JAKL serves as his outlet for solo performance and songwriting. In 2016, he was named one of Glastonbury’s Emerging Artists, earning national radio support from BBC Radio 1, XFM, BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 6 Music. His version of ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ was used on the global Audi campaign.
Most recently, Hughie worked with composer Vince Pope on the score for HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. Their collaboration on the song ‘No Use’ received an Emmy nomination.
About Rebecca Douglas
Rebecca Douglas is an award-winning photographer and visual storyteller whose work rewilds our connection to nature at the wild edges of earth, sea, sky and self. Her nature-led storytelling has been recognised globally, including 2nd place in the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 Conservation and Impact category. She is an Official FUJIFILM X-Photographer and serves as President of the Board of Trustees for Whale Wise, where her voluntary work includes creating visual stories of their field research.
Her work has been featured by National Geographic, NASA and Oceanographic Magazine. Her exhibitions include a six-month solo show in partnership with the National Trust, an immersive ocean advocacy exhibition at the Whales of Iceland Museum in Reykjavík, and group shows at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney and Seaworks in Melbourne. One of her images is held in the permanent digital archive of the National Portrait Gallery, London as part of the landmark Hold Still project. Music has always been an anchor through her life. She plays piano, performed professionally in bands on tenor sax and has sung in choirs for many years, joining the Social Singing Choir in 2017.
About Whale Wise
Whale Wise is dedicated to advancing marine mammal conservation through scientific research, advocacy and public engagement. Their team works to understand the complex interactions between whales and human activity, focusing on evidence-based protection, sustainable practices and the involvement of local communities.
Whale Wise primarily works in Iceland, where they have followed the stories of more than 600 individual whales. The humpback whale song that features in this single was collected in Finnafjörður, Northeast Iceland. A near-pristine environment with incredible marine life, this area could be a seasonally important habitat for these migratory giants. Using an underwater microphone (called a hydrophone) that was deployed for an entire year in the fjord, the research team documented extensive singing in winter – a mysterious behaviour performed only by males during the breeding season. By documenting the presence, behaviour and movements of whales, Whale Wise aims to protect these giants from the impacts of potential industrial development in the region.
Looking to the future
Wash Over Me is only the beginning.
Through this partnership, the project is helping create new connections between communities, conservationists, musicians, storytellers and ocean advocates around the world.
Together with World Ocean Day, Whale Wise hopes this project can continue opening conversations around ocean protection, storytelling and the power of collective action long beyond a single release.
Looking to the future
Wash Over Me is only the beginning.
Through this partnership, the project is helping create new connections between communities, conservationists, musicians, storytellers and ocean advocates around the world.
Together with World Ocean Day, Whale Wise hopes this project can continue opening conversations around ocean protection, storytelling and the power of collective action long beyond a single release.
Press & media
Through its unique combination of whale song, community music and ocean conservation storytelling, the project has already received international attention through global news and media interest, including BBC World Services – Happy Pod, BBC NEWS, ABC Australia (live on national radio) and Isle of Thanet News.
For interviews, media enquiries or partnership opportunities, please contact hello@rebeccadouglas.co.uk.
We are part of this too
The sea covers more than 70% of our blue planet, and humans are made of water too. Somewhere between voice and ocean, there is a meeting point.
A shared language.
A remembering of what we are part of.
We are part of this too
The sea covers more than 70% of our blue planet, and humans are made of water too. Somewhere between voice and ocean, there is a meeting point.
A shared language.
A remembering of what we are part of.
Follow the journey: