Photo: Kwaku Alsto
We caught up with Grammy-nominated singer, actress, and activist Antonique Smith who just released a reimagined version of the powerful anthem, “Love Song to the Earth,” available now on all streaming platforms. Originally released in 2015, the song featured vocals from global superstars like Sir Paul McCartney, Sean Paul, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, and Natasha Bedingfield. This heartfelt track remains a testament to Antonique’s deep commitment to climate change activism.
Love Song to the Earth is produced by Toby Gad (Beyoncé, John Legend, Demi Lovato) and written by Grammy-winning songwriters Natasha Bedingfield and John Shanks (Celine Dion, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban). The re-release of the single also aligns with Antonique’s nonprofit, Climate Revival, which mobilizes communities of faith and people of color through the power of storytelling, art, and culture to fight climate change and promote environmental solutions.
Antonique Smith is also known for her role as Faith Evans in the iconic 2009 film Notorious, and her standout performance as Mimi in Broadway’s Rent.
Check out our conversation below.
What would you say is your favorite thing about being a storyteller?
Antonique Smith (AS): My favorite thing is the affect that my storytelling has on people. The fact that someone could be touched, moved, inspired, healed by my work is the biggest blessing for me.
For you, is music and acting separate, or do they compliment each other?
AS: They totally compliment each other. Even outside of my opinion. Imagine a movie with no music in it. No score, no songs. Or imagine a singer who isn’t feeling what they’re singing; no emotion, no belief or connection to the words. In both scenarios, it’s going to be a much less enjoyable experience. They need each other. And I for sure lean into that myself. I want folks to feel things when I’m singing so I make sure I’m feeling things first. And this is a bit deeper but as an actor in a scene, there’s often a melody there that only the actors and probably the director can hear. There’s a way that a scene builds like just like a song does. It’s pretty amazing the connection between the two.
What can you tell us about your re-imagined version of “Love Song to the Earth”?
AS: I’m so proud of it. I cried when I heard the master. It’s just an important song right now. Even more important than when it was first written 10 years ago. The world is so divided at a time when we need all hands on deck to solve the climate crisis. Cities are getting washed away by historic storms and floods, communities devastated by wildfires, heatwaves, droughts etc. People are dying. We are the world. We must love one another enough to keep each other safe.
What were some learning experiences on Rent and Notorious that you were able to bring to other projects?
AS: So many things! They were both firsts for me. RENT was my first professional theatre job and Notorious was my first movie. And let me tell you, there’s a lot they don’t teach you in acting class. Being on Broadway is very different than being on a film set. In RENT, we had to really all work together, almost an “all hands on deck” kind of unity because no matter what happens on that stage, no matter what goes wrong, the show never stops. If something spills, if something breaks, if someone messes up, if someone passes out; all those things happened during my time in RENT. No matter what happened, everyone was on the spot figuring out how to keep the show going. It’s the very opposite on a film set.
I learned very quickly on the set of Notorious that everything is compartmentalized. Each department was the only people who worked on the things concerning that department. For example, during the fight scene, my hair kept getting messed up so once we re-set to shoot the scene again, I tried to fix my hair. I was just trying to help. I was fresh out of RENT where we helped each other to keep the show going and in film, it’s almost disrespectful to help. The hair person wasn’t happy I kept fixing my hair even though my heart was in the right place. The thing I took from RENT that I could use on set was the ease of repeat takes. On Broadway, we do 8 shows a week. That’s a lot of repeating the same words, same songs, same dances, same everything! I found a way to stay in the moment and make each performance feel new and spontaneous. That was incredible training for film/tv. It wasn’t hard for me to shoot multiple takes of a scene because I had spent over a year repeating the same show. When we shot Biggie’s funeral scene, I was the only who was able to cry all day, for every take, because I cried real tears in RENT 8 shows a week!
When people listen to your music, what are you hoping they get out of it?
AS: I’m hoping they’re moved and inspired. I hope their hearts are opened by it. I hope it makes a positive impact on them.
What can you tells us about Climate Revival?
AS: Climate Revival is the non-profit I co-founded with my amazing bro Rev Yearwood. We’re mobilizing people of faith and people of color, to fight climate change and fight for environmental justice using music and storytelling.
We were inspired by how Martin Luther King Jr organized the civil rights movement in churches. We felt like people of faith and people of color were not being reached and informed the way they needed to be. Everyone needs to know we’re in a new civil rights movement, fighting for the right to clean air, clean water and existence. Folks need to understand that this movement is more than recycling and using solar panels. The biggest cause of climate change is pollution from big oil. That pollution from power plants and petrochemical factories is predominantly in communities of color and poor communities causing cancer and asthma. And that same pollution is causing the climate to change. We hear about climate change more now because of the crazy weather but no one is making the connection to the source of the problem. It ends up feeling like mother nature is just tripping and there’s nothing we can do about it. But that’s not the case!! We can do something! There’s a clear villain in this story and we can be our own heroes. Lives are being lost, communities are being destroyed and big oil is making a trillion dollars a year and getting 20 billion dollars in tax breaks and subsidies. How crazy is that? People are struggling to pay their bills but billionaires are getting the tax breaks! #EndPolluterHandouts
There’s lots to fight and we can only win if we come together. That’s the mission of Climate Revival; to build a loving army to fight for our health and our existence. You can find out more and join us at ClimateRevival.org.
Listen to “Love Song to the Earth” here
Follow Antonique Smith: Instagram
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