Every season, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” introduces the nation to dozens of talented acts across music, magic and comedy.
And during their 13th season, we were introduced to 27-year-old electric violinist, Brian King Joseph. Not only did Joseph impress the judges with his incredible musical abilities and megawatt smile, he won over audiences with his inspiring story of struggling with neuropathy. Joseph stopped by our studio in Los Angeles’ fashion district to discuss his introduction to violin, his shocking medical diagnosis and his experience performing alongside Lindsey Stirling.
When did you first start playing the violin and when did you decide to pursue music professionally?
I started playing the violin at the age of four. Around eight, I started playing in churches with my sister and then went on to do national competitions. At that time, I couldn’t read music, but I could play a lot of songs well above my age level. Playing from week to week felt so natural and it was always there as a potential career choice, but I wasn’t sure how that would happen or what type of music I wanted to play.
During your time at the Berklee College of Music, you were forced to leave the program due to a shocking diagnosis. What was that diagnosis?
Once I got into Berklee, I was so happy and thought that this was where the rest of my life begins. But I remember over Thanksgiving break, the day I essentially lost control of my body and was sitting there with excruciating pain, trying to figure out what was going on with me. For a few months, I went next door to the Harvard Medical Center and just confused the doctors. Some of them thought that I had acute rheumatoid arthritis, while others thought that I had spinal problems. I’d been through all of these tests and finally, I’m in a room with about 12 different neurologists.
This story is from the July 2019 edition of Inked.
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This story is from the July 2019 edition of Inked.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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