Pandemic-lockdown lifting and finally it’s the sunshine after the rain…

Globally renowned founding godfathers of Afrobeat, Osibisa*, donate their iconic, ‘Sunshine Day’**, UK chart hit to become the joyous anthem of Summer Will Come, a charitable initiative raising funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund*** for WHO – powered by the United Nations Foundation. Exactly 45 years since it was first recorded in 1975, Osibisa felt that the message and sentiment behind ‘Sunshine Day’ mirrored the optimistic cause of Summer Will Come. A fresh new live version of the track was recorded, a partnership with Summer Will Come formed and an anthem was born. All profits from the band’s first newly recorded material in over 20 years will be donated to the cause.

“Bright days are coming and that message has never been needed more than right now,” says founding member Teddy Osei, “Your smile will bring a sunshine day – and we want everyone to remember that. In these COVID times, we all need to be reminded that a smile will go a long way to bringing happiness, no matter how dark our days have been. The Summer Will Come movement reinforces our belief completely and it’s an honour to offer ‘Sunshine Day’ as the anthem for their cause.”

As the pandemic has set in, we have seen the world divided; globalism giving way to nationalism, and cooperation to competition. But diseases don’t respect borders and the pandemic is affecting communities all over the world. In countries like the UK, the virus and its effects have had enormous impacts. However in countries which lack healthcare infrastructure, medical supplies and resources to tackle the virus; the impacts they are feeling are far greater. We must work together as a global team to ensure that everyone, everywhere has equal access to the resources and care that they need. Summer Will Come is designed to help all of us to play our part.

Summer Will Come is a charitable initiative built on the belief that we can beat COVID-19, but to do that, we need to fight it as one global team, ensuring that every country in the world has access to the resources they need to tackle the disease. The upbeat campaign is working with a range of media, brands, and influencers to raise funds for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization - powered by the United Nations Foundation.

In support of the campaign, Osibisa have donated their iconic ‘Sunshine Day’ as the anthem to the movement. 100% of profit from the single will be donated to the fund, and every time the single is played, it will inject our summer with the optimism that sunshine brings.

This collaboration with Osibisa comes in addition to a range of limited-edition t-shirts designed by Seattle-based graphic design artist, Tyler Spangler. Emblazoned with the upbeat message of ‘Summer Will Come’,100% of profits from all sales will be donated to the fund. New limited-edition designs will become available as the campaign progresses.

Sarah Booth, co-director at Summer Will Come, commented “We believe that we have the ability to tackle COVID-19. But we can’t fight it alone as individuals, or even as separate nations, we need to fight it together, globally. Summer Will Come is designed to help us do that. Every t-shirt bought represents an act of kindness, and a donation to the global response, and a message of hope to all who see it. Osibisa’s incredible support of our campaign, and the donation of the iconic ‘Sunshine Day’ as our anthem is a powerful way to bring Summer Will Come to more people. Each time we hear it, we will all be reminded that together, we can get through this. The summer will come.

The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund was set up to support the urgent global response to COVID-19 and is focused in three core areas: helping understanding and tracking of the disease; ensuring that patients get the care and frontline workers get essential supplies and information; and to accelerate research and development of a vaccine and treatments for all that need them.
Smile it, sing it and wear the T-shirt. Your smile will bring a sunshine day.

‘Sunshine Day’ is out now on Marquee Records/Universal and Summer Will Come T-shirts are available at www.summerwillcome.org.