The Task

In March 2020, the abrupt cancellation of live performances presented a dual challenge: how could a classical music icon like Yo-Yo Ma maintain connection with his audience, and more importantly, how could his artistry continue to serve a public isolated by the pandemic? The goal was to provide authentic and lasting comfort delivered through music.

Our Approach: Artistry as a Digital Extension

Working alongside Yo-Yo Ma and his team, 21C Media Group developed a rapid, digital-first strategy to transition his artistic presence into a space of emotional service. The core strategy was built on the belief that social media should be an extension of his artistry, not just a channel for promotion.

• Immediacy and Authenticity: Responding to the crisis faster than almost any other major artist, the strategy centered on sharing heartfelt home recordings of music that brought Yo-Yo comfort, with the hope that it would have a similar effect on the people receiving it.
• Strategic Timing: The concept of #SongsOfComfort was launched on Friday, March 13, 2020, at 5pm ET, with Dvořák’s “Going Home.” Timed to coincide with many Americans’ final commute home before lockdown, the video went viral immediately.

Organic Movement Building: Shortly after the first video published, people started spontaneously posting their own Songs of Comfort videos. To create a sense of community, 21C systematically shared these videos to Yo-Yo’s story, inspiring ever more people to participate. The campaign avoided any direct “ask” for engagement or self-promotion, instead focusing entirely on monitoring, celebrating, and re-sharing the user-generated content that poured in.

Results

Launched on March 13, 2020, and running through the end of 2021, the initiative immediately resonated with a global audience desperate for solace. 

• Cultural Timing: Yo-Yo Ma was the first major international artist to launch a sustained, focused digital response to the pandemic shutdowns.
• Community Engagement: The hashtag generated thousands of submissions and grew into a cultural movement, drawing participation from countless fans and high-profile artists, including Carole King and many others.
• Digital Growth: The project significantly expanded Yo-Yo Ma’s digital footprint, resulting in the addition of 1.18 million followers (+261% growth) and a sustained increase in organic engagement (+1300% over previous period) across all social media platforms.
• Artistic Legacy: The digital movement organically informed and shaped Yo-Yo Ma’s artistic projects, leading directly to the production of a subsequent album titled “Songs of Comfort and Hope,” ensuring the project lived beyond the confines of the pandemic.
• Global Recognition: The impact of the project led to substantial media coverage, including Yo-Yo Ma’s inclusion in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 list. In the TIME tribute penned by Stevie Wonder, Wonder described the personal and global impact of #SongsOfComfort, writing “Every time [Yo-Yo] shares his music, it is a master class in love.”

The #SongsOfComfort project demonstrates the potential of a digital space when it is treated not as a promotional vehicle but as a direct extension of artistic mission. By prioritizing authentic human connection and shared experience, the initiative transcended the limitations of canceled performances, transformed a crisis response into a successful cultural movement, and brought Yo-Yo Ma’s humanity to millions of new people.