I am delighted to introduce to music.co.uk, a very worthy cause, and it seems, a very creative one too. Heart n Soul is an Arts organisation based in London, which since 1986, has been working tirelessly to give a voice to those with learning disabilities. They do this through events, workshops, and professional productions across all areas of the arts, including music.
They have a mix of residential and visiting artists/professionals who work with all the people who join ‘Heart and Soul’ to write, produce, and/or perform music in a studio, or to the public at events. One of these multi-arts events, called the Beautiful Octopus Club, gives participants opportunity to regularly showcase their work, and maybe even perform at the legendary Royal Festival Hall. The next event at this venue takes place on October 9th, and features performances from the Heart n Soul DJ crew, and singer Lizzie Emeh.
Lizzie was discovered at a Heart n Soul Open Mic Night, and it wasn’t long before she was signed up as a member and in the studio. Since then she has been working on her debut album, ‘Loud and Proud’, which will be launched at the Festival Hall concert. Her story has proven to be an inspiration to many, as she has risen above a childhood in which her parents were told she could never walk or talk. Lizzie has fought against the odds, and now she is a young lady with a dream. That dream is to become the first black women with a disability to win a MOBO award. Given what she’s been through to come to this point, anything is possible. Lizzie, like many of the other performers @ Heart n Soul, has embraced urban music, and produced a mix of Soul, Jazz, and R&B, with hints of Reggae, Missy Elliot and Macy Gray. There are samples of her songs available at www.heartnsoul.co.uk, which sit alongside clips of other performers involved in the program, such as Emma Campbell, and Pino Frumiento. The site also includes details about the theatre and art projects Heart n Soul run, along with other information on their work. Check it out if you can, it’s a great organisation that does a lot of work to involve the community and people with disabilities in the arts.