Jason, who also calls himself JD Weaver, describes himself as a normal 19-year-old from northern England, who happens to be fighting a particular battle. His recently released debut EP, Where Eagles Fly, is the materialisation of his efforts to reveal the underrated capacities and the ambitions of young disabled people.
Representing a man “who could be anybody” looking down at an impressive panorama reminiscent of the Grand Canyon region in America, the cover of the EP already hints at the idea of determination to claim a right to recognition expressed by the young singer’s lyrics. The song ‘Native Man’ is a further hint at how JD Weaver feels he can “relate to the mistreating of native indigenous tribes, which is sort of where [his] music comes from.” To him, music is a way of getting through to a larger audience which needs to be made aware of the struggles faced by minorities, as he expands his statement to all communities regularly confronted with discrimination.
With the popularity of X Ambassadors’ song ‘Renegades’ and the increasing emphasis on tolerance as a general state of mind, “it’s certainly not as bad as it used to be” but there is no time to waste, from Jason’s point of view. What he sees as two communities, the disabled and the able-bodied, have been separated for too long and Jason wishes to create a “bridge” with his music that will finally establish equality between these groups. “I want to open more possibilities for other young people in the same condition as myself”, he says. “This isn’t just a symbolic effort: I’d like to get more exposure in order to spread the knowledge of my cause (…) I find ignorance is the most damaging thing. Not talking about an issue doesn’t make it go, it just makes it worse. You get really frustrated.”
The problem, according to Jason, is originally straightforward. On top of people’s blurred perception of the condition of young disabled artists, studios don’t necessarily have the facilities required to welcome them. He also mentions marketing opportunities as an obstacle to his career, despite the idea that ideally this industry should only focus on sound.
The young man’s dream might be to “get a house of [his] own and live independently” to demonstrate that he is capable of controlling the important aspects of his own life just like any other person of his age, but when asked about his idea of what the next step in his campaign will be, Jason enthusiastically says “maybe an album, yeah an album would be great!”
