A talented deaf singer who quickly stole the hearts of the America’s Got Talent’s judges has opened up about the painful moments that followed her hearing loss at age 18.
Mandy Harvey, who is now 29, has wowed the show’s audiences at every step of the competition thus far, with her latest performance landing her a coveted spot as a semi-finalist.
But the singer, who lives in Orlando, Florida, once thought she would never get to sing in front of an audience again.
Sharing: Mandy Harvey (pictured), who has stolen the hearts of America’s Got Talent’s judges, has opened up about the painful moments that followed her hearing loss aged 18
As a teenager, Mandy developed a connective tissue disorder, which affected her nerves. The condition progressed, and her hearing started declining.
One day, Mandy, who was then studying as a Vocal Music Education major at Colorado State University, went to class to take part in a dictation.
She kept waiting for the exercise to begin, until she realized the professor had in fact already finished—and she hadn’t heard a single word.
Crushed by the realization that her hearing was gone, Mandy dropped out of the program and grieved for 12 months.
‘I stopped. I stopped completely. I didn’t do anything for a year; I abandoned music,’ she told Elle in a new interview published on Wednesday.
‘For a person who grew up with music, who loves it, who was studying music education, that was a long time. I didn’t expect to go back to it.’
Illness: As a teenager, Mandy developed a connective tissue disorder, which affected her nerves. The condition progressed, and her hearing started declining
Past: Crushed by the realization that her hearing had gone, Mandy (pictured on America’s Got Talent) dropped out of Colorado State University and grieved for 12 months
But after giving herself time to bounce back, Mandy did, in fact, return to her passion. In 2008, she started singing again, and discovered she could still hit most notes.
‘I started to play music again because of my dad and my mom. I grew up playing guitar with my dad, and he and my mom encouraged me to start again,’ she added.
Learning American Sign Language (ASL) also played a part in making her feel more confident.
‘Because I started learning ASL and through that learned to accept myself I felt okay to try new things again,’ Mandy said.
‘I started to believe I could. I started singing, and then playing the ukulele and singing, and things progressed from there but I still never expected to be performing and now when I think about it, it’s like, What? Who are you!?’
Resilient: After giving herself time to bounce back, Mandy (pictured the year she lost her hearing) did, in fact, return to her passion. In 2008, she started singing again
Support: Mandy (pictured right as a child) received encouragement from her mother and father to start playing music again after her hearing loss
Mandy established herself as a prime contestant on this season of America’s Got Talent with her first performance in front of the jury, which earned her a golden buzzer from non other than Simon Cowell.
The distinction, the highest one a candidate could have received at this stage of the competition, meant Mandy progressed directly to the live shows.
During Tuesday’s quarter-final, she sang one of her compositions, as she did during her original audition. The audience proved it was just as in awe of her talents as the judges, as Mandy gathered enough votes to become a semi-finalist in the competition.
Mandy, who sings barefoot onstage so that she can feel the vibrations of the music, uses a visual tuner to help her visualize her singing tone. However, touch remains the most important sense she uses during her performances.
Success: The singer (pictured with her fellow semifinalists and America’s Got Talent’s judges) has been a hit since her first appearance in the competition
Schedule: Since first appearing on America’s Got Talent, Mandy has been busy touring and working on a book, which is set to get published in September
‘Whenever I’m singing and looking at the tuner I’m also feeling the movement in my own body. A long time ago I started talking into a balloon so I could feel myself talking, to practice judging volume, and compare it to other musicians,’ she said.
‘So I studied a lot with the balloon, and in learning how to sing with other musicians and keep in time—that’s all by touch. A lot of that I feel in my body, and growing up with hearing I have pretty good muscle memory, and I was born with near perfect pitch.’
Since first appearing on America’s Got Talent, Mandy has been busy touring and working on a book, which is set to get published in September.
The singer, who never thought she would end up on a TV show, is also enjoying every single moment of the competition.
‘I’ve been getting tons of emails from all over the world, people who have been inspired to keep moving forward, but also just ones telling me their stories of struggle, and how they are aiming to “try,” ‘ she said, echoing the title of the composition she first sang during her America’s Got Talent audition.
‘I really hope my music and my life can help encourage people not to give up.’