Stephy Says 💋, the My Heart Instead, Virginia Beach rapper, Immanuel Mitchell aka Gifted Hands has become a viral sensation.
His viral fame comes after his TikTok video touched the heart of millions & had them rocking with Gifted Hands all across the globe. His song “Why Not Start,” had all time streams racked in a whopping 1,008, 510 streams.
In addition to that, his song was also listed as “Top 99 of 19,923 playlist for this song.” Keeping with stats, this unintentional worldwide debut also gained 1.6 million plays, 6.3k average daily listens, 1.2k purchases, & 81.9k Shazams. His Instagram followers greater than tripled, going from 3k to 100k seemingly overnight.
Gifted Hands’ management team: Capri Lawrence & Nicole Buckley of LiveWire revealed to Facebook that Why Not Start is the song of the year as it hit over 2,000,000 all time plays.
From TikTok alone, this hit song gained over a million views. He issued a Why Not Start duet challenge on TikTok, & artists across the nation & world joined the challenge & revealed their own personal struggles & how they overcame them.
Gifted Hands’ rise to fame has been budding for quite some time now, and in my honest opinion—it’s long overdue. He made an earlier appearance on January 30, 2019 on the local news, Channel 13. The story was aired, “MAKING A MARK: Rapper overcomes physical obstacles to inspire others.”
Immanuel Mitchell also known as Gifted Hands was born with what would be considered a physical limitation; he was born without hands. He is open in interviews & gives account of his childhood struggles & added lyrics to his music about the struggles & challenges he faced as a both child, & an adult with physical abnormalities.
The pressures of being different created some depression for the young rapper. He revealed to 13 News that he had even contemplated suicide, but music saved his life. He found his life purpose in music.
Stephy Says 💋 is late to the party when it comes to covering the budding superstar. His story was recently aired again by 13 News once more with the headline, “Virginia Beach rapper, ‘Gifted Hands,’ goes viral. When interviewed, Mitchell said:
“I’m able to reach out and lift people’s spirits up with my ‘gifted hands’ even though I don’t have hands“
“Life isn’t about what you have or don’t have, but what you can give.”
13 News Now
Amongst coverage from the local news station, Gifted Hands was also covered on other platforms such as:
- Hiphop Untapped
- Thawed Magazine
- Paris Beacon News
- SHRMGMCNUH
- Daily Advent/ Opera News
- Our Community Now
- La República (Español)
- Mag (Español)
Every time he writes a song or performs it, he continuously defies the odds. With a poor prognosis & predicted disabilities like being deaf or deceased by the age of 3, Gifted Hands fought to his success & has begun a global marathon with his music.
His appearance fed his appetite & hunger to fuel his platform. He developed a fanbase that recognized sheer talent despite being different. His authenticity & humility is what moves the crowd. He has graced the stage is many venues across Hampton Roads. He even performed at the 420ish Unity Festival in Portsmouth during the spring (April).
In such a small amount of time, he’s given the world hope. In the middle of a pandemic, inflation, a recession, & uncertainty—Gifted Hands gave us hope. With his music alone, he’s lifted us out of a dark place. It’s ironic how he was born without hands but has reached way down & touched souls going through their deepest struggles. Without exaggeration, let me just say—the world felt this one!
His note to fans via Facebook on July 27, 2022 was simple:
“🥺Thank you for accepting me!! Vulnerability is scary but there’s so much beauty comin out of sharin my story!!🙏🏾 #InhaleExhaleInhaleExcel”
Gifted Hands
Whether he’s on stage or standing in front of you in person, his message is the same—Don’t give up.
If you want to sing or rap along with GH, the lyrics can be found here.
He’s scheduled to shoot the official video of Why Not Start on Friday, August 12, 2022 at the Virginia Beach Mount Trashmore Park location. The video shoot is open to the public & Gifted Hands is requesting everyone to purchase a t-shirt & wear it to the video shoot.
For booking: iamgiftedhandsbooking@gmail.com
Connect with Gifted Hands on social media:
Stephy Says 💋 as ALWAYS—LIKE, SHARE, COMMENT, & SUBSCRIBE ✨
Stephy Says 💋 