MUMBAI: Universal Music India has released Sri Lankan Hip Hop and R&B artist Ashanthi’s new single ‘Let’s give peace a chance’ as the official song for the De PaixYatra initiative - a motorbike journey from India to England.

The initiative organized to promote World Peace will flag off on 11 August in Mumbai. The single, available for mobile downloads and on digital platforms, will be later followed by a compilation album featuring songs of `peace’ as an accompaniment to the De PaixYatra project.

Speaking on her new single, Ashanthi said, “It has been a great experience creating 'Let's give peace a chance' as the official anthem for the De PaixYatra peace project. I believe that the song sends a strong message to everyone about the hope of peace throughout the world. The composition of this song, for me, has been an expression of my deepest feelings, as Sri Lanka has been a country in turmoil in the recent past for over 21 years. In my lifetime all I have seen is war, now I am glad I was able to create a song that will make a difference in promoting peace and unity among our youth. I wish the De PaixYatra team all the very best on their journey!”

The journey, covering eight nations and 56 cities, will span across various colleges and universities where it will carry out a plethora of activities to promote its cause of unifying the youth across these countries. The initiative will try to engage celebrities, diplomats, ex-presidents, sports personalities, youth icons and political leaders. The entire journey will be documented and later released in the form of mini-series, films, documentaries and a photo story coffee table book.

Universal Music India & SAARC MD Devraj Sanyal said, “As a musician myself, and the MD of Universal Music, I'm proud to support De PaixYatra and their mission to celebrate and spread the values of peace and goodwill.  When most of us are tired at the constant stream of hopeless news, here are a group of young people setting off on a mission that is not only full of hope, but also a real-world, fantastic, ‘roll-up-your-sleeves and get in there to make a change’, creators of the good news. Ashanthi de Alwis, our artist from Sri Lanka, created the original De PaixYatra song for this worthy endeavor. We wish Parth, Nitesh and the entire De PaixYatra team success and salute their incredible journey.”