COLUMBUS, Ohio — Zayne Harshaw, 28, is making a name for himself in the music world, both as a solo artist and with his band, Blue Spectrum. Blue, because it’s his favorite color. Spectrum, because he has autism.
“When I play my guitar, like in front of a crowd, I feel like I’m connecting with folks,” Zayne said.
He has an extraordinary talent despite his disability. At age 14 he was inspired by the video game “Guitar Hero.” So, he began teaching himself to play the real thing.
“Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King,” Zayne said, recalling his favorites.
Zayne has his musical idols, but he strums to his own beat. But his parents didn’t recognize his amazing musical talent right away.
“I think part of the reason is, we had gotten this diagnosis of autism when he was four years old that told us all the things, he’d never be able to do, like reading and things like that, which they were wrong. Thank goodness,” Zayne’s mom, Gwen Harshaw told 10TV.
While Gwen and her husband Gene were laser-focused on their son’s education, Zayne was learning something that couldn’t be taught in school.
Zayne says he becomes a different person when he’s on stage. His inhibitions go away. He normally has a hard time socializing. He says he gets anxious and has anxiety attacks. But not when he’s performing. On stage, he feels confident.
“I like to show out,” Zayne said. “Sometimes it feels good to have people get blown away watching me play. I like showing off or rocking out.”
“I’m well aware of his anxiety and nervousness,” says Gwen."But once he started playing and when people are responding, he loves the camera. He will go up to them. He has this wireless receiver and will walk all around the stage. Sometimes I’m like, is that my son?”
Zayne is self-taught. He learns his own way. He doesn’t read music. He plays by ear. His talent goes beyond the notes and proves that being different can be a good thing. A very good thing.
“Even if there is a disability, even if there is a challenge, they can achieve in different ways,” says mom Gwen. “My goodness, I’m just grateful we were able to expose him to music and he was able to do what he’s done.”
To hear his amazing talent for yourself, you can find out more about Blue Spectrum and Zayne’s solo schedule here.