Sting and his son Joe Sumner performed The Police hit “Message in the Bottle” at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability gala last week, and Billboard has exclusive video from the event.
The father-son duo virtually performed at the annual benefit, which honored Jaden Smith and Amariyanna Copeny, aka “Little Miss Flint,” for their “environmental justice advocacy and tireless efforts to provide clean, safe drinking water to vulnerable communities,” according to a post-event press release.
“Me and my dad would love to support you by singing this song,” Sumner announced in a pre-recorded video filmed at a studio, where he and his father broke out into an acoustic rendition of the 1979 classic.
“Message in the Bottle” was written by Sting and released as the lead single from The Police’s sophomore album Reggatta de Blanc in 1979. It reached No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and peaked at No. 74 Stateside on the Billboard Hot 100.
Courteney Cox and her daughter Coco Arquette as well as Leslie Odom Jr. and his wife (and UCLA alum) Nicolette Robinson also performed at the charity event, which raised more than $600,000 for graduate students at UCLA’s IoES.
Watch Sting and his son’s performance of “Message in a Bottle” above.
