In 2012 Emmanuel Kelly shot to global fame. His rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine captivated X Factor audiences not only because of his voice, but because they learned he’d been adopted out of warn-torn Iraq.

Key points

• Australian humanitarian Moira Kelly adopted Emmanuel and his brother, having found them in a Baghdad orphanage.
• Emmanual wrote My Sky about his experiences when he became destitute, three years after finding fame on X Factor.
• New single My Sky is available now.

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As a boy, Emmanuel was found by soldiers who took him to the Mother Theresa Orphanage in Baghdad, where he met his brother Ahmed and lived for the next seven years.

Australian humanitarian Moira Kelly heard about the brothers and their physical disabilities and eventually brought them to Australia for life-changing surgeries, ultimately adopting them both.

Emmanuel’s brother Ahmed went on to become a medal-winning Paralympic swimmer, while Emmanuel has inspired and entertained close to one billion people worldwide with his performances.

The highs of Emmanuel’s career have been remarkable, recently announcing a tour with Coldplay, appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show and launching Outlyer Entertainment to promote inclusivity and accessibility in the film, TV and music industries.

“You’ve got everything you want and then suddenly out of nowhere [you’re] sleeping on a park bench in Santa Monica,” Emmanuel said.

In a low moment though, Emmanuel found himself sleeping on the streets when fame waned.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Emmanuel told Hope 103.2.

“From the instant fame we had [after X Factor] and the constant touring, to then three or four years later not knowing where to go or what to do.

“You’ve got everything you want and then suddenly out of nowhere [you’re] sleeping on a park bench in Santa Monica.”

It was on that bench Emmauel got the inspiration for his new single, My Sky.

“One morning I woke up and saw the world in a different light,” Emmanuel said.

“I started to look at my life and I accepted that I’d got myself to this place, I can’t blame anyone for it.

“Every day your life can change with every sunrise, [and] I got off that park bench with a purpose.”

“It’s none of my business what anybody in the world thinks of me,” Emmanuel said.

Admitting he needed help was hard for Emmanuel, knowing he’d been perceived as “successful”, but he realised “it’s alright to ask for help and be vulnerable.

“As hard as that can be, and as hard as that sounds at times, you’ve got to push away that pride,” Emmanuel said.

“It’s none of my business what anybody in the world thinks of me.

“It’s only my business what I think of myself, so as long as I love and appreciate who I am, and I embrace that [hardships] are part of my journey, [then] your path starts turning around because your mind starts thinking in a different light.

“It all comes down to recognising that there’s hope and then feeding off that hope.”

Emmanuel Kelly’s single My Sky is out now.

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Feature image: Promotional image supplied