All the artists who appeared in this video should be on your radar

The True Colors Music Video “You Gotta Be” has been uploaded for less than a month and it’s already garnered more than 500,000 views on Youtube. From the catchy melody and lyrics to the heartfelt performance of the 13 artists from nine countries, the message about living true to yourself shines through! If you haven’t seen it yet and need a boost today – what are you waiting for?

If you’ve seen it and want to know more about the amazing artists, read on.

Artists (in order of appearance)

00:30 Mandy Harvey

Her performances – she feels the vibrations of the music through her feet – on America's Got Talent has been viewed millions of time and earned her Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer that propelled her straight to the finals. After losing her hearing at 18, Mandy began developing her own way of finding her pitch and‘hearing’ music, which include learning to feel the vibrations through her feet, using special equipment and working with instrumentalists. You can catch her on the Netflix series Human - The World Within, in the episode entitled SENSE.

00:30 Signmark

It all began when Marko Vuoriheimo worked out – as a child – a way to translate Christmas carols into sign language so he could join in the family carolling sessions. MTV sparked a love for hip-hop and rap, and the rest is history. By then known as Signmark, Marko released the world's first sign language hip-hop DVD and became the first Deaf artist in the world to score a record deal with a major label. He has performed worldwide in more than 1,000 concerts and is a global ambassador for the deaf community, lobbying for it to be recognised as a linguistic minority.

00:40 Aliènette Coldfire

Kathryn Jewel Golbin – more widely known by her stage name Aliènette Coldfire – is a Filipino singer-songwriter. She credits the Internet for enabling her to learn French through online lessons and connecting with native speakers who became friends. After her rendition of Mariah Carey's I'll Be There went viral, she took a leap of faith and self-belief, travelled to France and competed in the 2016 edition of La France a un Incroyable Talent (France's Got Talent). She placed third and hasn’t looked back.

00:50 The Shalva Band

00:55 Member of The Shalva Band, Anael Khalifa

00:57 Member of The Shalva Band, Dina Samteh

The Shalva Band comprises eight talented musicians who live with different challenges, studying, working and doing volunteer work in their community. The band performed as guest artists at Eurovision 2019 to a broadcast audience of 150,000,000 people worldwide. Shalva’s female vocalists Anael Khalifa, who began singing at the age of five, and Dina Samteh, who learned Hebrew through singing, feature in the You Gotta Be music video.

01:10 Raul Midón

With a signature combination of silky tenor and percussive guitar, Raul’s music is described as a blend of flamenco, jazz and R&B. A two-time Grammy nominee, he has released ten studio albums as a solo artist, has collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers, and contributed to recordings by Queen Latifah, Snoop Dogg and the soundtrack to Spike Lee's She Hate Me.

01:20 Johnatha Bastos

As a child born into a family of musicians, Johnatha Bastos dreamed of making it as a professional solo guitarist. Improvisation led him to create his unique style of playing the guitar — using his feet. With sick riffs and solos, Johnatha brings life to music, doing it his way! When we first saw this multi-instrumentalist in ‘We're The Superhumans’ Rio Paralympics 2016 trailer, Johnatha played the piano.

01:28 Alvin Law

Alvin is a living – and witty – example of channelling challenges into positivity. Born without arms and then abandoned, he is today a professional drummer and instrumentalist, an author, a motivational speaker, a fundraiser and an Emmy award winner. Alvin was one of the stars of the We're The Superhumans Rio Paralympics 2016 trailer that was viewed by millions around the world.

01:41 Enos Araújo Barbosa

Enos is a leprosy survivor. Born with a gently powerful voice, he has been singing and playing the guitar since he was 13. Fired by his strong faith and desire to reach the voiceless, the homeless and the prayerful, Enos has travelled his country sharing his music and his message of faith and surviving – and thriving – against the odds.

01:58 Kenta Kambara

Kenta performed in the 2016 Rio 2016 Paralympics closing ceremony, and is a para sportsman, swimmer, dance teacher, systems engineer and family man. His dance has been described as “wordless testimony to artistic passion and possibility”. “I want people to understand…that it’s precisely because my body is different that it is interesting…that will become a trigger to accept other people’s differences. I also want them to think, ‘Wow, that’s cool!’

02:11 Wheelsmith

Wheelsmith (a.k.a. Danial Bawthan) is a rapper, beatboxer, sound designer and music producer from Singapore. When he was a teenager, muscular dystrophy changed his life forever. Music became his strength, and hip-hop was the equaliser. He has performed on Singapore’s largest stage, as a highlight of the National Day Parade 2019, to millions of viewers live and via live telecast. He is currently working on his debut EP of original compositions and has represented Singapore as part of the national wheelchair rugby team.

02:16 Chris Fonseca (UK)

"I touch the speaker. I touch the walls. I feel the beat… I feel them all over my body and I get goosebumps… I become one with the music." This is Chris’ relationship with music, as a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher and global deaf ambassador. Specialising in Urban dance, he's based in London and recently performed on Strictly Come Dancing 2020.

02:33 Kyle Kihira

Beautiful harmonies, melodies and rhythms flow in Kyle's inner world, where memories of all the music he has ever heard are stored. Now 19, Kyle composes music as naturally as breathing. Diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, this young prodigy has filled jazz clubs and festival arenas with the emotionally sensitive and energetic sounds of his keys.

This content is produced in partnership with True Colors Festival.