“I don’t feel the way I used to…”
When Mandy Harvey sings this line from her original song “Try,” she’s not just describing a moment of change—she’s reshaping what music can be.
In 2017, Mandy stepped barefoot onto the America’s Got Talent stage. The crowd was silent, unsure what to expect from the singer-songwriter who introduced herself as Deaf. But within seconds, her warm, clear voice filled the room, anchored in muscle memory, guided by visual cues, and charged with deep emotional clarity.
Her performance captivated millions. But Mandy’s story didn’t begin with a viral audition. It began long before—with a lifelong love of music, an unexpected diagnosis, and the choice to begin again when everything felt lost.
Music surrounded Mandy Harvey from an early age. Born in Ohio and raised in Florida and Colorado, she sang in choirs, wrote songs, and envisioned a future in music education. That dream gained momentum when she enrolled at Colorado State University to study vocal performance.
But during her first year of college, Mandy’s hearing began to decline rapidly. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that can damage the nerves essential for hearing. Despite hearing aids and interventions, her hearing continued to deteriorate.
By the age of 19, she was profoundly Deaf.
“I quit music,” she later shared. “It felt like everything I had worked for was gone in an instant.”
The silence that followed wasn’t just physical. It carried grief, disorientation, and the painful sense that a core part of her identity had disappeared. For a time, she stopped singing entirely.
Still, Mandy’s connection to music never truly faded. Over time, she began reimagining how to engage with it—not through sound, but through sensation.
She retrained her voice using visual tuners, which display pitch in real time and allow her to adjust without relying on auditory feedback. Her extensive muscle memory—shaped by years of training—helped her reconnect with tone and phrasing through physical awareness. And most distinctively, she began performing barefoot to feel rhythm through floor vibrations.
With encouragement from jazz pianist Mark Sloniker, she returned to open mic nights and gradually rebuilt her confidence. What began as a quiet experiment grew into a bold redefinition of how music can be created and shared.
“Just because I can’t hear,” she said during her America’s Got Talent audition, “doesn’t mean I can’t sing.”
Her reawakened voice was about to reach a global audience.
When Mandy took the stage for her America’s Got Talent audition, she performed “Try”—a song she wrote during her recovery, about finding the courage to begin again. The vulnerability in her performance struck a chord with millions.
Simon Cowell hit the Golden Buzzer. The audition went viral. But beyond the media attention, what stood out was the emotional depth of her voice—rooted not in sound, but in perseverance.
Since AGT, Mandy has released several albums, including Smile, Nice to Meet You, and Paper Cuts. Her music explores themes of identity, loss, and self-discovery. It’s crafted with intentionality and performed in a way that redefines musical connection.
Mandy’s creative process is distinctive, adaptive, and inspiring.
She uses a blend of visual tools, muscle memory, and vibrational feedback to write and rehearse music. Every performance is mapped out with precision. She memorizes pitch, rhythm, and phrasing in advance.
Performing barefoot allows her to stay grounded in rhythm through stage vibrations. In rehearsals and recording sessions, she works closely with collaborators who understand her process and communication preferences.
Her music videos often include captions and American Sign Language, making her work accessible to a wider audience. By designing with inclusion in mind, she reminds the world that accessibility isn’t a limitation—it’s an invitation.
While Mandy’s artistry continues to gain recognition, she hasn’t lost sight of the systemic challenges facing Deaf performers.
Too often, the music industry assumes artists can hear—excluding those who can’t from essential tools, accessible venues, or equitable opportunities. Sound checks rely on auditory cues. Some stages lack captioning or visual prompts. And industry gatekeepers still question whether a Deaf person can be a “real” musician.
Mandy challenges these assumptions. Through her visibility and advocacy, she’s helping shift conversations about representation and pushing the industry toward a more inclusive future.
Outside of performance, Mandy mentors young people with disabilities and collaborates with nonprofits like No Barriers USA. Her workshops, school visits, and speaking engagements encourage others to embrace their uniqueness and challenge limits—internal and external.
One such visit took her to Bamber Valley Elementary School in Rochester, Minnesota: a school nationally recognized for academic innovation and its commitment to Deaf and hard of hearing students. As the regional hub for Rochester Public Schools’ DHH program, Bamber Valley offers specialized services in a diverse, inclusive environment.
Mandy’s presence brought her message directly to students navigating hearing loss, offering not just inspiration, but affirmation.
“I sing because I love it—not because I can hear it,” she explained in an interview with Tanya Dalton on the Productivity Paradox podcast.
Her story continues to remind others that creativity, identity, and disability are not at odds. They can coexist powerfully.
Mandy Harvey is more than a singer. She’s a reminder that music isn’t just heard—it’s felt. It’s shaped by emotion, memory, movement, and meaning.
Her voice may not rely on sound, but it resonates all the same.
She may not feel the music the way she used to. But in choosing to try, Mandy created something even greater. She’s not only changing how we think about music—she’s expanding who it belongs to.
Mandy is just one of many Deaf and hard of hearing artists reshaping what music can be. If you’re curious to learn more, explore our feature on 10 talented musicians with tinnitus or hearing loss—each with their own sound, story, and spark.
What does music mean to you?
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