The Piano viewers find series ‘winner’ and judges left in awe after 'spellbinding' performance with twist

Viewers of Channel 4’s The Piano were left emotional after hearing one of the latest people to play on the show. Michael, 23, from south London wowed judges Mika and Lang Lang as well as crowds at Victoria Station in London with his own composition entitled Great is the Grief — which features a language he completely made up.

Michael, who is neurodivergent, told Claudia: "What makes this piece very unique is that the words and the language is completely made-up. There is no meaning there, the meaning instead is in the music and the voice."

Opening up about some of the struggles he’s faced due to his neurodiversity, Michael said: “I’ve always struggled to fit in and there’s a reason for that. I have neurodiversities. I have autism and I have ADHD as well. The piano has always been my rock, my way of expressing myself.”

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As he started playing Michael stunned audiences when he began to sing aloud in an operatic tone. Claudia told Michael’s mum as he was playing: “Well he’s clearly really rather brilliant, isn’t he? He has his own Michael language, I love that.”

Following the performance Lang Lang said that he felt the show had found the “new Bach”. He wasn’t the only one to enjoy it either. On social media platform X, formerly Twitter, one person said: “Michael: absolutely extraordinary. I could listen to him all night.” A second echoed: “Michael was astounding. Like a countertenor singing while playing the piano. Finalist I think.”

A third said: Wow! Michael. “That was spellbinding,” while a fourth commented: “I think we might have just heard this year's winner!” Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.

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