Emmanuel Kelly

Emmanuel Kelly is a singer who dreams of becoming the first "differently abled pop star." Kelly was found in Iraq as a baby, half-dead in a shoebox at a park by two soldiers. With no birth certificate, passport, and no known identity, it is nothing short of a miracle that he is alive today.

Taken to the Mother Theresa Orphanage in Baghdad, he spent the next seven and half years as a child of war, living a nightmare, experiencing and seeing some of the worst of mankind.

Humanitarian Moira Kelly heard about Emmanuel and his brother, Ahmed, whilst working in Albania. Months later Moira flew to meet the brothers and immediately fell in love with their energy, will to survive, and passion to create a world filled with love. After many complications, Moira eventually brought the brothers to Australia for life-changing surgeries.

Over the next 14 years, Kelly had six surgeries, stepping over huge obstacles such as learning how to walk and how to feed himself using a knife and fork. But Kelly’s biggest obstacle was learning to embrace and love himself on the inside and out, overcoming his insecurities.

Today, Kelly has become a media sensation after his Australian “X-Factor” audition singing John Lennon's "Imagine” went viral. Kelly has captured, inspired, and entertained close to 1 billion people worldwide with his performances. An strong advocate of diversity, Kelly has performed duets with the likes of Coldplay's Chris Martin, who he considers a mentor, and David Foster. He also opened a sold-out concert for Snoop Dogg.