Whale Wise 
Wash over me
A World Ocean Day 2026 partnership project supporting Whale Wise
An original charity single created by award-winning composer and producer Hughie Gavin and Social Singing Choir in partnership with World Ocean Day 2026. Raising funds for Whale Wise and featuring the songs of humpback whales recorded in the North Atlantic, the single is accompanied by a cinematic short film by wildlife photographer Rebecca Douglas.
The choir sings. The whales sing.
Wash Over Me is an original charity single born from a shared love of the ocean. Created by Hughie Gavin and Social Singing Choir in partnership with World Ocean Day 2026, the project weaves together 140 human voices with the songs of humpback whales recorded beneath the waters of Finnafjörður, North East Iceland.
At its heart, this is a story about connection and shared love of the ocean.
The single is raising funds to support Whale Wise and our ongoing research and conservation work protecting whales and the habitats they depend upon.
Accompanying the release is a cinematic short film by wildlife photographer and filmmaker Rebecca Douglas, bringing together ocean field research, wild North Atlantic landscapes and the collective voices behind the music.
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 is 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 is 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.
The whale named WASH
During the first day of field season, our team photographed a humpback whale we did not recognise. Every humpback whale has a unique pattern on the underside of their tail.
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 fluke carries the shape of a wave, we named this whale WASH, after Wash Over Me.
WASH was sighted in Finnafjörður, the same fjord where the whale song featured in the single was recorded.
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.
Join us for the live premiere
Friday 22 May 2026, 19:30
The Drill Shed Margate
Join us for an immersive evening featuring:
- the first live performance of Wash Over Me
- the world premiere of the accompanying short film
- a celebration of ocean connection through music, storytelling and community
All profits support Whale Wise.
Limited capacity.
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.
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.
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.
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
The project has already received international attention through BBC coverage and global media interest surrounding its unique combination of whale song, community music and ocean conservation storytelling.
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: