Composer Kevin Walsh has composed his debut single, Embrace the World, as a super-group song in aid of the Autism charity, AsIAm. In a 50/50 split with Kevin, the charity will receive 50% of all proceeds and royalties. Kevin was diagnosed as autistic at age 5, in a time when very little was known about the condition, and his mother, Cathy O’Riordan, has had a long fight to get Kevin to this stage of his life that allows him to reach for a professional career in music. The inspiration for his super-group idea comes from the Band Aid charity singles of Bob Geldof, and the recently successful Irish Women in Harmony singles. AsIAm, set up by Adam Harris in 2014, aims to provide a one-stop shop for the Autism community in Ireland. Their mission statement emphasises education, empowerment, advocacy and community, four areas which strongly resonate with Kevin. ‘Music is my way of expressing myself to the world around me,’ says Kevin. He gathered an ensemble of Cork’s finest producers and musicians to record the instrumental track in April including singer / songwriter Emma Langford, Mark Daly, West End Stars Molly Lynch and Caroline Kay; Stephen Gormley the lead vocalist with folk band Moon Looks On; Lisa Curran, Ger O’Hanlon, Rebecca Houlihan, and Lauryn Griffin. By embracing different vocal styles, Kevin illustrates the variety of Autistic diagnoses. Each person on the spectrum is an individual with different needs and abilities, and, just as no musical style is any less valid than another, so too is each Autistic person equally important and gifted, but in need of support. Stop and Listen! Project manager Yvonne Coughlan, an award winning film director and screenwriter, will be working with cinematographer Maurice Supple to create the music video for Embrace the World, intended to dramatically depict some key experiences and challenges overcome by Kevin and his mother, Cathy, with performances by actors, combined with on-screen appearances by the super-group vocalists. In preparation for the project, and scripting the music video. Yvonne of RSVP Ireland has conducted intimate interviews with Kevin and his Mum, and is inspired by their stories of the challenges they faced to get Kevin to this pivotal point in his career, these documentary film excerpts have been shared on social media to help supporters to know more about Embrace the World and how much it means to Kevin and his family on a personal level. Cathy hopes that the world reaches out to embrace Kevin. The project’s recently successful Fund it campaign means that the project is well underway, but they continue to reach out for sponsors to make the full dream of the video production plan, and subsequent launch events, come true. Sponsors should email rsvpireland@gmail.com for further information. To support the project and follow the progress go to www.rsvpireland.net, Instagram @embracetheworldrsvp, facebook@embracetheworldRSVP, Twitter @embracethewrld
