A 32 year old man, who is autistic and non-verbal, has risen to superstardom, having been recently praised for his "beautiful" singing voice.
Despite his difficulties, Martin Finn's singing talent has caught the attention of Irish music duo, Foster and Allen., having been invited to sing on the pair's cover of Westlife's 'Flying Without Wings', which will feature on their upcoming album.
Martin's passion and indeed talent for music, was nurtured at Landgate School and College in Wigan, UK, when a head teacher at the school bought him a karaoke machine, which saw him sing to his favourite artists, including Coldplay, James Blunt, Snow Patrol and Take That.
Julie Hewitt, a teaching assistant at the college, spoke of her delight at watching him do what he loves.
"It just shows you even with a disability, your dreams can still be there", Julie said. "You can still do something that you're passionate about and that you love".
Since being discovered for his musical talents, Martin Finn has since gone on to perform at weddings, and his local pub. He has also appeared on BBC's Autistic Superstars in 2010.
Speaking about his career, Martin's parents, John and Norma Finn said that his invitation to sing on Foster and Allen's album was better than "winning the lottery", as it meant the world to their son.
John Finn said that his son Martin "lives for music", adding that he knew that 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".
They praised the music duo for giving their son, a "wonderful opportunity", while Tony Allen said that he had sent the song over to Martin so that he "could not believe he had it word for word".
"It was note for note perfect, everything about it was perfect", he said. "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".
Elsewhere, Mick Foster stated that he hopes Martin's achievements will 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.
