Annie Lennox has become the latest music star to lend her weight to the Hear The World campaign, joining contemporaries such as Amy Winehouse, Moby, Placido Domingo and Harry Belafonte in supporting the venture. The campaign, run by hearing aid manufacturer Phonak, aims to draw attention to the emotional impact of hearing loss. The stars have their pictures taken posing with a hand behind one ear, by official celebrity photographer Bryan Adams.
The aforementioned Belafonte, who suffers from hearing loss, says of his experiences: "Good hearing is extremely important. It has a lot of impact on personality. I noticed [when my hearing got worse] that my voice changed, and I had to speak more loudly. People thought that I was speaking more aggressively, and I didn't mean to be aggressive at all. I just think people should be very, very conscious and protective of their hearing."