Ren Harvieu bounces back from broken spine to release debut album Through The Night
Ren Harvieu's voice cracks and she grimaces as she relives the moment a man snapped her spine after leaping over a hedge and landing on her back.
The Salford soul singer was on the cusp of launching her career last May when the freak accident occurred, shattering her dreams in the process.
She recalls: "I was running in a crouched position and at that exact moment he jumped right over the hedge and his feet go right into my spine. The timing is bizarre — one second more and I'd have been alright."
The incident in London left her in intensive care for months and she was told by doctors she'd never walk again.
"At first I was numb — a mixture of denial and heavy, heavy drugs," the 20-year-old says over a cuppa at London's Soho House. "I was in intensive care doped up to the eyeballs. I was seeing zebras and otters skipping around the bed. It was like a Disney film.
"I was like, 'Why's everyone crying around the bed? I don't understand.' Then, you realise what's happened. I was told I can't move anything from the waist down.
"They said it was the worst back-break they'd ever seen. The doctor who did my surgery said, 'Hopefully she won't be paraplegic but she'll be in a wheelchair.' Then he came to see me after about two months and I lifted my leg up. He looked like he was going to faint.
"He said, 'How are you doing that?' He couldn't believe it. Then the joy started to spread on his face. It was a beautiful moment.
"I'm in awe of him. He fixed me. He's like Superman to me."
Debut album ... Through The Night
A crutch resting beside her chair shows Ren's recovery is far from complete. The softly spoken singer explains: "I've lost a lot of muscle from the waist down because I didn't use any of my lower body for months.
"When I'm around the house I don't use the crutch. When I walk onstage, I put it on the floor. It's like a security blanket." Fortunately, Ren has a resilient spirit — thanks to both her upbringing in "bleak, grey, cold and boring" Salford and the influence of her no-nonsense father.
Her rise from moody truant to record label Island's latest big hope is an unconventional one.
Enrolled in a college specialising in musical theatre — "like the Primark version of the BRIT School" — shy Ren survived the knocks she took from teachers convinced she didn't have what it takes.
She says: "They hated me there. I got in one show, after hundreds of auditions for other shows, and I was ecstatic. After the show, the teacher cornered me and said, 'No one wanted you to be in this show,' then he walked off.
"I didn't play ball — I was hungover, I didn't go in, I was moody and shy — but sometimes you just need someone to give you a little leg-up."
Ren persevered with the singing ambitions she'd harboured since a childhood obsession with classic Disney soundtracks. But auditions didn't go well.
She says: "I'd go for meetings with people and they'd say, 'We don't know what to do with you because you sound like an old woman but you look like a young girl. It's not going to work.' I was like, 'What do you want me to do? I can't change'. I had so many meetings like that."
She struck gold when her music was spotted on MySpace by manager Paul Harrison. She signed with Island Records — having never even played a single live show.
With studio time booked, Ren took a giant leap into uncharted territory — co-writing and recording her debut solo album.
The result is Through The Night, a diverse and soaring 11-song set that showcases her stunning voice.
Ren says: "All of a sudden I'm in a room with a songwriter who's been writing hit records for 20 years. I'm there with my notebook, trembling. I felt completely out of my depth. I was basically just a wreck but sometimes I'd have a really good day.
"It took a bit of time but I'm really proud of what I've done."
Read More @ Source More Celeb Stories Here