Deaf And Determined

Mandy Harvey's performances are so magical that she usually gets a standing ovation.

But the pitch-perfect musician can't hear the applause. Harvey, an award-winning singer-songwriter and inspirational speaker, lost her residual hearing at age 19.

She almost gave up her dream of a musical career, but, with her father's help, she learned to sense the vibrations of music through her feet. So expect her to perform barefoot when she takes the stage with her ukulele at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach on Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

"Mandy Harvey's message to hope, dream and believe takes shape as she glides from jazz standards to moody blues," notes the venue's website. 

Harvey, who captured America's heart - and Simon Cowell's golden buzzer - on "America's Got Talent" in 2017 (she was in the top five) now has four albums and a book, "Sensing The Rhythm."

"If I take back any of the bumps, bruises or scrapes I've been through," Harvey told Forbes, "I wouldn't be the same person. I would tell my younger self, 'This is going to be hard but you're going to get through it and you're going to be better for it. Just keep going.'"

As for her "America's Got Talent" experience?

"I went onto the stage with no expectations," she says. "I didn't think I was going to get the golden buzzer. I just wanted to show up and prove to myself that I could stand on that stage. I wanted to encourage people around me to evaluate their lives and see where they are holding themselves back. I wanted them to dream again." O

For more information, call 561-832-7469 or visit kravis.org.