By Ethan Benedicto
Born to sing and express himself through melodies and instruments, Samuel Rowland is ready to take on the stage at the Berwick Show on Saturday 22 February.
However, Samuel only learned how to sing six years ago, as a matter of fact, he only learned how to speak around the same time.
At just 11 years old, he was born with the genetic disease of Dravet Syndrome and autism, making childhood difficult for Samuel.
According to his mother Michelle, seeing her son persevere was nothing short of amazing.
“Oh it’s been an awesome, awesome journey, he learned music from his sister, who also had the same condition,” she said.
“However, she’s in heaven now, and he developed a sense of music from her, so I guess he’s been listening to songs from the day he was born.
“It was in 2019 and early 2020, when the lockdown hit that, through me giving him that one-on-one support, he learned to talk, to read through the lyrics; and then he started singing.”
His sister, who had passed away due to illness, left a strong and lasting impression on Samuel, an impression that came in the form of music.
Michelle recalled that he began to teach himself to read, to discern the lyrics and melodies, and from there, his love for it only grew.
Come Saturday, Samuel, supported by friends and the sister duo Tanjil and Sienna Adams, has been granted the opportunity to perform at 10.15am, with two songs ready to go under his belt.
The reality of it became even clearer to not just Michelle, but Samuel as well after his rehearsal with the sisters on Sunday 16 February.
“Everything Samuel does is music, his personal carer when they’re brushing teeth, he has to make up a song,” she said.
“Going to the toilet, they make up a song, it’s all songs for him, and everything is a song to him, so it has been an extraordinary journey.”
Samuel’s love for the art only grew, and it continues to look as if there will be no end to it.
He began to add flair to his music with costumes, imitating artists that he saw online or on television, learning their dialogues and their tunes.
Blessed with what Michelle described as an astounding memory, Samuel can just “store chunks of information”, and that when he takes interest in a band, “he needs to learn everything about them”.
“It can be from the singers’ spouse’s name, where they are from, anything,” she said.
Currently, Samuel’s favourite band is Ernie Hase and Signature Sound, and while it may seem a little niche, Michelle said that her children always had a penchant for gospel music.
Samuel’s interest doesn’t stop there, however, and like a true old soul, also took a liking to Long Play (or LP) CDs, then more to DVDs and eventually, everything technical.
His love for music expanded, and Samuel learned how to download songs, edit certain segments, and add his own flair.
“Don’t ask me how he does it, because I have no clue, but then one day, he discovered VHS tapes,” Michelle said.
“So I went to Facebook and searched for VHS tapes, and an older couple who were selling it were curious as to what I was going to do with it, but I was happy because I knew Samuel would enjoy it.”
Everything about music, from the melodies it produces to the technicalities that work behind the scenes to make people groove, Samuel loves them all.
The boy has been through multiple hospital admissions, and incubations, has experienced language delays, has had problems walking and often times low on energy.
The severity of his condition was nothing to scoff at, yet despite all that, Michelle said that “he’s still quite hyper though, so it’s a bit contradictory”.
“I always say he was born to perform, he has no sense of fear that sometimes comes with autism.
“He’s a natural you know? The pain and suffering, the hardships for him to do just the most basic things that kids his age do has been difficult, it’s an uphill challenge.
“It’s hard, but he never lets it get him down; he can’t write because he’s unable to get that pencil grip, but he finds other ways of expressing himself,” she said.
Both Michelle and Samuel are excited, more so his mother, considering that her son is a step closer to living and realising his passion for many to enjoy.
Samuel himself has been preparing for Saturday for well over a year, from intertwining himself with different instruments to designing his own stage at their home.
Finally dawning on her, it didn’t take long for her to tell family, relatives and friends about the upcoming performance.
“He’s a self-made man, including all the stuff online that he does, the music, how he learned to edit, photography, everything,” Michelle said.
“My heart is so filled with pride because I have watched him have those prolonged seizures, and be hospitalised, but now I’m just soaking in this blessing.
“Being able to witness this, it’s one thing to desire, to dream and to want things like this for your child, but God has given me the grace and the blessing to live it.”
