Lizzie Emeh was an award winning Irish, Nigerian and British musician and disabilities rights campaigner.
On the 9th October, Google Doodle celebrated award winning Irish, Nigerian, British musician and songwriter Lizzie Emeh, who was a champion for people with learning disabilities. On this day in 2009, Lizzie released her first album Loud and Proud.
Lizzie was born in Notting Hill, West London and when she was a baby, her parents were told that she would never walk or talk. By four years old, Emeh overcame those expectations, as she would continue to do throughout her life. Surrounded by a family that inspired her passion for music, she knew she wanted to pursue it as a career.
Emeh was discovered at an open mic night in 1999 and she soon joined Heart n Soul, an arts organization working toward an inclusive future. With this organization, Emeh began to perform across Europe and the world, notably playing at the Glastonbury Festival and Heart n Soul Unplugged in Asia.
Emeh also enjoyed writing songs about her personal experiences, as she did on Loud and Proud. The title reflects her desire to be open and celebratory about disabilities. She described the album as “eclectic, wide-ranging, and with lots of soul.” Not long after it was released, she took her original music to the world stage at the 2012 London Paralympics opening ceremony.
Her next album was a three-part EP trilogy, collectively titled See Me. The three parts, The Clan, My Baboo, and Meds, delved into her relationships and mental health. Listen to Lizzie, an album of love and empowerment with a more reggae sound, was released posthumously in 2023.
Emeh won multiple national awards for her contribution to music and her legacy can be explored through her albums that are written straight from the heart. She is also remembered for championing the rights of people with learning disabilities and inspiring more disabled people to enter the music industry. Thank you for sharing your stories and musical talents with the world, Lizzie Emeh!
A word from Lizzie's family
Special thanks to Lizzie Emeh’s estate, for their collaboration on this project. Below Monica, Lizzie’s sister, shares her thoughts on today’s Doodle and Lizzie’s legacy.
Lizzie always had a passion for music ever since she was a child. When she was young, she received a recording unit which had a mic, and she started singing straightaway, she loved it. Our house was always filled with music. Lizzie had a tough start to life, she was born with severe medical complications and our parents were told she would never walk or talk. However she proved the doctors wrong and continued to defy the odds throughout her life.
Lizzie’s career really started to develop in 1999 when she was discovered by Heart n Soul, a creative arts charity based in South East London. They supported her to develop her music and helped nurture her career. I remember going to see her perform in the early days. It was normal to see Lizzie burst out in song at home, but it was such a surprise seeing her on stage. We didn’t know she had that confidence, she was brilliant and we were so proud of her. When she told us about making her first album Loud and Proud, we thought it was amazing. She was writing and producing songs and it was incredible. I came to many of her performances over the years, her music was great. I loved seeing her perform, it was amazing to see how all the audience felt included in her performance.
Lizzie achieved so much in her life from creating lots of music, performing across the world and winning awards for her achievements in music. Lizzie was also passionate about talking about the lives and rights of people with learning disabilities. She wanted to inspire people and let them know that they can make their dreams come true, just like she did. Lizzie would have been so proud to know she is being honoured in this way, she wouldn’t have stopped talking about it! She believed in working hard and always doing your best. Lizzie was loud, proud, positive, happy and joyful! We miss her.
-Monica Emeh
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