Cornish musician battles disabilities to release debut single
Oliver Goulding has a list of complex disabilities but that hasn't stopped him fulfilling his dream.
Last updated 30th Sep 2020
A disabled musician from Cornwall has proved that people can achieve whatever they want in life following the release of his debut single.
Oliver Goulding, 28, from Truro found his singing voice after struggling to come to terms with lockdown restrictions which were implemented by the Government following the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.
He has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, a learning disability and a long list of problems which have made his life very challenging.
He continues to battle these disabilities and pain on a daily basis. He is in a wheelchair, has no use of his right hand, is profoundly deaf and has had countless operations throughout his life – many on his brain.
During the three months in quarantine, Oliver found it hard to adjust to the "new normal" which he says "tipped him over the edge". He said;
"I found the lockdown increasingly difficult and I got to the point that I was at boiling point where I was angry and frustrated and unable to cope with a lot of things."
His dad, Jon Goulding, came up with the idea to write a song about how he was feeling and turn a negative into a positive.
"Lockdown led him to get very depressed and angry. All of his support and activities stopped.
"We decided to try and channel this into something creative. It has helped him massively and we think his story will inspire and help others."
Music has always been a passion of Oliver's, who is also a talented guitarist. He said:
"I feel that music helps me quite powerfully. Emotionally it uplifts me and helps me to be happy in certain situations."
Since it's release on Friday 18th September, his song "Shattered Feelings" has been recognised by famous musician's including Robert Smith from The Cure who shared Oliver's music video and asked for people to get behind him.
His mum Caroline Goulding says she's incredibly proud:
"It's fantastic. He's really talented and it's lovely that other people can appreciate that talent, particularly, considering all his disabilities. Hopefully, it'll be inspiring for all those disabled people out there who think that they can't do anything. It means everything is possible."
Jon added:
"He is such an amazing talent who has been through so much, therefore I want to do everything I can to help him get his songs heard by as many people as possible.
"I think it will help people think twice about people with a disability and at the same time remind everyone that people with a disability are just as talented as everyone else."
You can watch Oliver's music video below. His song is also available in the UK and US charts on Spotify and other music platforms.