North Idaho man's musical message of hope, unity translates to listeners around the world

"The light we share, it shines so bright; a guiding star in the darkest night. For every soul this song will soar; a call for peace, for hate no more."

Thirty-one languages and counting, a diverse expanse of instrumental sounds and styles, one unifying message: "The Light We Share."

“My whole goal with music and art is to connect the world. That's what I want to do," Mike Baker said Friday morning. "I love when somebody connects with an image I create or a song I create. Not that you’re trying to make people cry, but you’re having these things connect and that’s the intention."

Baker's newest music project — launched on his birthday, Jan. 12 — comes from a place in his heart that was galvanized by the "We Are the World" USA for Africa movement of his childhood.

“Growing up, that was the song that united the world,” Baker said. "When I thought about doing this, that’s the song that came to my head. I’m like, ‘We need a new version of that.'

"We were collecting cans for the famine in Africa, and I think I was probably in fifth or sixth grade," he said. "I remember being in my school with boxes of cans in the hallway. It was just a cool thing to see the world come around a song. I just thought, ‘Why not?’” 

A tense election year, the fires in California and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are among events that have been stressful, tragic and tumultuous for people near and far. Baker, the CEO of Heritage Health, wanted to do something significant for his birthday that could serve as a sliver of hope in trying times.

“There’s a lot of really crappy stuff happening,” he said. “I’m like, ‘What can I do?’ Not that a song’s going to have everybody stop fighting. It’s not going to change anything, but even for just a minute if someone can listen to it and connect with it ... it’s a random stranger in North Idaho, it’s just one way to put a smile on a face I maybe wouldn’t be able to interact with in another way. It’s been fun to see it.”

Using artificial intelligence tools, he drafted lyrics and generated a song that is translated in languages including English, Dutch, Farsi, Bengali, Mandarin, Zulu and more.

“The cool thing about AI is it opens the doors,” he said. "It's almost like working with a partner."

The song has been played roughly 13,000 times. Baker included a message at the end that is spoken in the respective language of each song: "This is Mike Baker, sending love to you from Idaho. Remember, you are loved. And together, we can make a brighter world."

Baker loves music, although he has yet to master guitar or piano. He said he realizes the struggle some have when it comes to using AI.

"I don’t ever want to take anything away from somebody that can play the guitar," he said. "There are real musicians out there. I feel like I’ve learned a new instrument and it's opened a door to me that’s never been available, and I want to do something good with that.”

He said this project isn't about him. It's about a message he hopes resonates with everyone who listens to "The Light We Share." 

"There’s this negative, dark energy that’s starting to get traction in our community, and it’s going to destroy us," Baker said. "If enough of us put out light and hope and thrive in that, I mean, come join us. We're not going to agree on everything, but let’s not tear everything down. Let’s find a way to connect.

"Join me," he said. "Go do something positive for the world. If music helps you, if art helps you, that’s great. If health care helps you, that’s great. Chop some wood for a neighbor, smile at somebody, buy that coffee for someone. Do something positive because the world needs to see us leading by example."

"The Light We Share" can be found on several online platforms, including soundcloud.com, youtube.com and mikebakerhq.com.

    This image generated by Mike Baker using AI tools accompanies his newest music project, "The Light We Share."