Until being exposed to The Outlaw Ocean, I had never heard of anything like this. Most people I spoke with hadn’t either. This book and Ian’s reporting opened my eyes to a portion of humanity mostly ignored by the Western world and showed me a way of life so brutal and different from my own. It’s a powerful body of work that’s capable of inspiring people to enact change, big or small.

Like a journalist, an artist also has the ability to shine a light on issues that would otherwise go ignored by bringing stories to life. With this project, I felt compelled to portray the toil and suffering of enslaved crewmates — a sense of forlorn aggression, an urgent but lonely chaos found in few other circumstances. I had a specific story and crewmate in mind for each song I crafted and with it, a distinct set of emotions. Eril Andrade’s story was one that impacted me deeply. A man who needed work like anyone else, but with far fewer opportunities, his life was lost the moment he stepped foot on a fishing boat. As a small tribute to his memory, I dedicated my track, “Voiceless,” to him and his plight. I hope that I, along with the other artists on this music project, can create an awareness for the sake of workers like Eril.

HOUNDTRACK