Non-verbal autistic man shows off 'perfect' singing

An autistic man who cannot speak has been given the chance to be heard thanks to his "beautiful" singing voice.

Martin Finn, 32, is non-verbal but enjoys singing and his talent caught the attention of Irish music duo, Foster and Allen.

The singer, who developed his musical talents at Landgate School and College in Wigan, was invited to sing on the duo's new album for their cover of Westlife's Flying Without Wings.

His parents, John and Norma Finn, said the invitation from the chart-topping duo was better than "winning the lottery" because it meant the world to Martin.

Mr Finn said Martin "lives for music" and added they knew he could sing from an early age despite being non-verbal.

"If you asked him his name, he couldn't respond, so to hear him singing was unbelievable," he said.

"He sings all the time and his mum and dad are very proud of him".

Martin's singing talents began when a former headteacher at the school bought him a karaoke machine and before long, he was singing to his favourite artists, including James Blunt, Coldplay, Take That and Snow Patrol.

Julie Hewitt, a teaching assistant at Martin's college, said it was lovely to watch Martin doing something he loved.

"It just shows you even with a disability, your dreams can still be there," she said.

"You can still do something that you're passionate about and that you love."

Since his singing talents have emerged, Martin has gone on to sing at weddings and at his local pub.

He also appeared on BBC's Autistic Superstars in 2010.

His parents have said Mick Foster and Tony Allen had given their son a "wonderful opportunity".

Allen said when he sent the song over to Martin to learn, he "could not believe he had it word for word".

"It was note for note perfect, everything about it was perfect.

"People ask us what was your favourite thing that happened in your career and I always used to say Top Of The Pops because it was magic, but I think being in the studio with Martin really goes above Top Of The Pops without a shadow of a doubt".

Foster added that he wanted Martin's achievements to inspire others.

"If it gives hope to other people that have autistic kids, that's more important than whether the song will go to number one or not," he said.

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