Environmentalist, Emmy winner and three-time Grammy-nominated singer Toni Childs is planning an underwater concert on the Great Barrier Reef.

In 2020, Childs attempted to sing underwater off Michaelmas Cay before bad weather put an end to the experiment.

“The idea was to inspire people around the world to invest in restoring the Great Barrier Reef and other reef systems around the world,” she said.

“I purchased a bubble helmet from Japan so I could sing under water, I had custom speakers made in Australia that can play under water and I performed music that I had written with my husband.”

Now Childs is going to attempt the concert again at locations across the Great Barrier Reef.

“In July we will be heading out with local doctors and scientists and we are hoping to perform and film the concert with minke whales,” she said.

“It’s part of my 360-art installation, which will travel in an 80-foot (24-metre) dome throughout regional Australia.

“It’s all in support of Great Barrier Reef Legacy and their coral bank.

“This is where they take coral species out of the ocean to protect and repopulate them outside of the bleaching environment so that the coral can survive.

“We will also be giving people the opportunity to sponsor some coral.”

Tony Childs attempted to sing under water on the reef last year but bad weather intervened. Photo: Supplied

Funds from concert to go towards reef research

Childs will also perform in Cairns as part of her retrospective tour.

“The show will be split into two halves; the first half I will be playing fan favourites from the past 30 years,” she said.

“The second half will be new music from my two new albums that I will be releasing in the future.

“I will be using the funds raised from the concerts to help with the underwater concerts that are planned for later on this year.”

Childs, who was born in California and moved to Hawaii as an adult, became an Australian permanent resident after moving here in 2012.

“I had some new projects I wanted to work on and there was no way they could be produced in Hawaii, I had to make a big decision about moving and it just made sense to move to Australia,” she said.

“I thought, ‘Where do I want to be on the planet?’ and I thought I wanted to live in Australia.

“Places like Far North Queensland remind me of Hawaii. When I go out onto the Great Barrier Reef and look back at Cairns and the mountains, it does remind me of Hawaii.”

Toni Childs performs at the Tanks Art Centre this Saturday.

-ABC