JMI's Greenote Awards 2023

The twelve-year-old Kenyan musical sensation Shanariha Evans has been crowned the recipient of the JMI Greenote Award 2023. JM International (JMI), the world’s largest youth-music nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and connecting youth and children through music, has today awarded this multifaceted African prodigy for her extraordinary engagement at such a young age, using her platform as a musician to raise awareness around the environmental issues facing her community in Mombasa where she organises monthly beach cleanups and other environmental initiatives.

The JMI Greenote Award was conceived to spotlight outstanding musicians actively contributing to environmental causes. Young artists are recognized for their exceptional work in the fight for our planet and the diverse life it sustains. The goal of the award is to cultivate a network of musical ambassadors who inspire, awaken, and spread joy through the rhythms of hope, creating a space of understanding and connection with our planet.

Shanariha Evans perfectly embodies the spirit of the JMI Greenote Awards and is certainly not your typical pre-teen. At the age of twelve, she is already a celebrated musician, climate activist, speaker, environmentalist, and author, standing out as a beacon of inspiration, advocating for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a special focus on the 14th SDG – Life Below Water.

Shanariha’s commitment to environmental activism is evident in her latest song, “PRESSURE”, which serves as a powerful anthem addressing the environmental challenges humanity faces today. The song touches on issues such as climate crisis, fossil fuel emissions, deforestation, and the detrimental impact of irresponsible plastic disposal on our planet.

This is a young lady with already many remarkable achievements. She has written a children's book titled "THE OCEAN WARRIOR", in which she aims to raise additional awareness amongst young readers about the plight of our oceans. She recently released her latest album “Foundation”, which is now available on all major platforms and was named a Global Child Prodigy Award winner in 2022 in Dubai. Shanariha is a two-time award recipient at the Grand International Film Festival in London (2019 and 2021) and has been a speaker at the World Forum for Women and Girls 2023 in Philadelphia (USA) and was nominated for “Africa’s Next Star” at the Global African Music Awards in South Africa 2023.

We celebrate Shanariha Evans’ well-deserved win, as she joins AY Young as the second-ever recipient of the JMI Greenote, joining JMI’s global community of young musicians dedicated to inspiring positive change, raising awareness, and connecting with our planet through the universal language of music.

To find out more about Shanariha Evans, check out her social media channels:

Facebook: Shanariha Evans

Instagram: @shanariha_evans

Youtube: @ShanarihaEvans & @Shanariha_Evans

For more information about the JMI Greenote Award please visit www.jmigreenote.com or mail@jmi.net