Ben Lee’s jingle aims to save lives
JEWISH musician Ben Lee is hoping his new catchy jingle will help beachgoers 'slip, slop and slap' to protect their skin from skin cancer.
CHANTAL ABITBOL
JEWISH musician Ben Lee is hoping his new catchy jingle will stick in your head, reminding you to “slip, slop and slap” this summer.
As part of the Cancer Council’s radical experiment to see if music can save lives, the 31-year-old singer produced the “Sun Sound” harmony, which will be played at regular intervals on loud speakers at select beaches over the next few months.
The idea is that sound will prompt people to take action and protect their skin.
“Skin cancer is so preventable,” said Lee, who is currently based in Los Angeles. “You hear a siren or a telephone ring and you know what that sound means. So it’s exciting to think about the Sun Sound being thought about in a similar context. It’s kind of a revolutionary idea.”
The campaign, an initiative created in conjunction with the Three Drunk Monkeys, targets teens — one of the most vulnerable groups to sun damage.
The Monkeys collaborated with award-winning singer/songwriter Lee to create the five-second musical sound.
Sofia Khayech, a skin cancer prevention expert at the Cancer Council, said: “Sadly, melanoma is the most common form of cancer in young people aged 15 to 44 years old, and although most teenagers know the importance of protecting their skin, it’s easy to forget when out and about having fun.”
“Many people don’t realise sun damage in the first 15 years of life greatly increases the risk of skin cancer in later life,” Khayech said.
“We want teens to take Sun Sound on board as a friendly reminder to protect their skin with 30-plus sunscreen, a hat, clothing, sunnies and keeping in the shade in the hottest part of the day.”