Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali McManus.
Hi Ali, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been told that when people hear me sing, they can’t believe I only have 30% lung capacity. I was born 3 months premature and weighed only 2lbs 7oz. The doctors gave me a 50/50 chance to live. I’m 26 years old and have never let anything stop me! I was also born with a rare bone disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). It’s a condition that results in brittle bones and scoliosis, and I’ve been in a wheelchair since I was 7 years old. It was not until I was 23 that they finally diagnosed my condition as OI. I started singing and making music when I was 7. Because of my condition, I was often stuck in the house, so I gravitated toward the grand piano in our living room.
I fell in love with it. And around the same time, I joined the school choir and was given a solo. No one had ever heard me sing before. When I finished singing my solo, people came up to me with tears in their eyes. And then I was like, “Was it that bad!?” “No,” they said, “it was amazing!” After seeing their reaction, I how I made them cry well. I knew that making music and singing would be an important part of my life. At eleven, I wrote my first song for a contest to win Hannah Montana tickets. I had to take a Hannah Montana song and write my lyrics about how much it would mean to me to win the tickets. I got over 50 thousand votes, and I won. I was hooked! Once I knew what songwriting was, there was no turning back! Soon after, it turned out that I had to have a series of surgeries. I was in the hospital for about nine months, in halo traction and a full-body cast. My grandpa bought me a keyboard, and my parents got me lessons in the hospital. I started singing and playing for the other patients and hospital staff. I became the hospital entertainment! Music saved my life!
When I was 21, I went to a big fundraiser concert for the Dick Wagner Remember the Child Fund, a charity that does music therapy for children in hospitals. Of course, I loved it! I met the charity’s founder, Susan Michelson, an artist manager and singer who had worked with Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, Dick Wagner, and other great artists. Susan heard me sing, and I talked her into becoming my manager over time! Susan played my music for her friend, music industry legend Jack Douglas. Jack is the producer of John Lennon, Aerosmith, and Alice Cooper, among many greats! When Jack heard me sing and listened to my songwriting, he did not care that I was in a wheelchair! He said, “I see her as an artist first.” Jack produced my album, Unbreakable, and wrote these words for my cover: “Her pure, authentic voice and magnetic personality light up the room. “She’s a natural — a true artist with old soul sensibility and a powerful message to share with the world.” I don’t see myself as a person in a wheelchair. I see myself as a regular person who happens to sit down all day. Soon after, Susan produced my music videos, “Unbreakable” and “Roll This Way,” my version of “Walk This Way.” It was so exciting and fun when Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) agreed to appear in “Roll This Way!” Recording my debut album with Jack Douglas in Los Angeles, working with an amazing group of top music industry session players, and filming my professional music videos were the highlights of my entire life!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
My road has been far from smooth. I’ve been dealing with challenges since the very beginning. My dad told me I fit in his hand when I was born! And even though I eventually started running and playing like the other kids, it didn’t stay that way for very long. I started having a lot of pain throughout my body. And my bones started to break easily and way too often. It turns out I had developed severe scoliosis—curvature of the spine—and what we thought at the time was osteoporosis, a condition that weakens your bones. When I was 13, it got really bad. I remember the doctor saying to me, “Ali, I don’t mean to scare you, but you know the surgery we’ve talked about doing for years but didn’t because your bones are too weak? We’ve got to do it now. Your scoliosis is so severe it’s crushing your lungs and your stomach. And your lung capacity is below 19%. Without this surgery, within a few months, you’ll have no air left and no stomach to put your food. If we don’t do this surgery now, you could die.” That surgery put me in halo traction in a hospital in St. Louis, away from my family and friends for nine months. Nine months. That’s a long time, especially when you’re a teenager. And it was a long time to be cooped up and away from making music—which is my passion.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a singer/songwriter. I write songs inspired by my life experiences to inspire the listener. I am known for captivating the audience at live shows, and usually, by the end of my presentation, someone is crying lol. I’m honored that people compare my voice to Stevie Nicks and Dolly Parton! I am most proud of the fact that regardless of how much pain I am in and all that I have been through, I still am following my dreams and doing what I love to do, and it makes me very happy that I can be a role model for others wanting to do the same. I’d say that regardless of my wheelchair setting me apart from everyone else, my outlook on life and my powerful message that we are all unbreakable sets me apart. Bones and hearts can break, but your spirit will never break.
I’m most proud of my album, Unbreakable, and of my music videos, Unbreakable and Roll This Way. I’m also very proud to share my message – Be Unbreakable –in public speaking engagements with children, adults, and corporate trade events. I’m very proud to donate my time to help other children in hospitals by singing and performing for them and helping raise money for music therapy programs. I love to help children and teenagers discover music! And I’m very proud to have been nominated for FIVE Detroit Music Awards – for Outstanding Americana Artist, Outstanding Americana Songwriter, Outstanding Americana Vocalist, Outstanding Americana Recording: Unbreakable, and Outstanding Video Limited Budget: Roll This Way.
What do you think about luck?
Luck in my life medically has been usually bad luck but, within my music career, I have had more good luck than bad. But because of my medical hardships, it has made me who I am today and helped me meet some amazing people I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s up to each of us to live our best lives and to create our own “luck.” It’s all about how you approach your life. I lead my life with positivity and excitement about everything I do!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alimcmanusmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alimcmanusmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliMcManusMusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alimcmanusmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/alicat2364
- Yelp: https://music.apple.com/us/album/unbreakable-ep/1332333729
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/album/057MAqDKtxjgPmXyZBZPhZ
Image Credits
Jay Gilbert
