A man with cerebral palsy says his new song will show the barriers disabled musicians have to overcome to be recognised in the music industry.
Michael Lerman, whose arms and legs are paralysed due to cerebral palsy, hopes his nose-written song ‘She Wrote ’ will transform the music industry and how it values disabled artists.
The singer, who lives in San Francisco, has teamed up with London-based singer Kah’Nya to perform his song. He says music venues in London have ignored their attempts to showcase their work.
He said: “Because of my disability, in many ways, I do not exist. For people with disabilities, isolation and lack of resources continues to be a problem. It is extremely difficult to get any visibility. For me and Kah’Nya, the more people who will hear our song, our story, the more people will start to care.”
(Image: Rachel Hill)
The songwriter and composer spent three weeks writing the pop rock lyrics before matching with the BBC-featured singer Kah’Nya, real name Khanya Dhliwayo, on a collaborative forum at the beginning September.
The pair then finished producing their song but have struggled to find a venue for Kah’Nya to perform in London.
Mr Lerman said cold calling is not “taken seriously”. “It’s challenging to get gigs especially in central London, where most of the traction is,” he added.
Although his conditions means he stutters severely, Mr Lerman also composes his own instrumental music by use of voice command to his computer.
He said this effort is ‘painstaking’. “Every click, every drag, every little adjustment with a mouse or a keyboard takes multiple voice commands. Through pain and torture, I listen to version, after version, after version, until I hear something that sounds workable.”
Kah’Nya, an 18-year-old singer-songwriter who has been featured on the BBC Introducing radio show, wants to help showcase Mr Lerman’s music.
She added the instrumentals and vocals to ‘She Wrote’ and is now battling to find a venue to perform Lerman’s lyrics in London.
She said: “I am in awe of what he has done and what he has achieved and does not get the recognition that he deserves. There are so many communities within the music industry that go unrecognised which is due to the bias from consumers and from the people who hold significant power in the industry.
“Sometimes it takes that one person to lift the culture and raise awareness of these things. The quality of Michael’s work is undeniable. That work alone should be acknowledged and put centre stage, no matter his background.”
Kah’Nya and Michael are continuing to contact venues and agencies to fulfil Michael’s lifelong dream to bring his music to a live stage and represent disabled musicians in the industry, The pair are also working on a second song called ‘Ay’.
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