Features

As creators and communities redefine what meaningful impact looks like, authenticity has become one of the most powerful drivers of connection. Through our Judge Reflections series, we’re exploring the perspectives shaping the future of social impact.

In this edition, we speak with Lachi, GRAMMYs Chapter Board Governor, founder and CEO of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), host of American Masters: Renegades, and an Executive Judge for The Anthem Awards. Drawing on their journey as a legally blind, neurodivergent artist and advocate, Lachi shares how embracing authenticity transformed their career, why collaboration is more powerful than competition, and what they believe creates work that leaves a lasting impact.

How did you get started in music, and what was the path to where you are today?

It’s so convoluted and ridiculous. Today I’m very open and vocal. The masks are all off. I’m just like, “Hey, I’m neurodivergent. I’m legally blind. I like to sing. I like to rap.” That was not the case at the beginning.

I was super shy and didn’t have many friends because I was legally blind. I felt like an outcast, so I talked to the piano through my songwriting. I wrote poems and songs I would never share. In high school, I signed up for the talent show. It was my first time performing in front of anyone. I wanted to back out, but I was too afraid. Finally, I’m backstage, I black out, and I come back to myself already onstage playing Belong, a song about not feeling like I belong.

When I finished, the lights came up, the crowd was cheering, and that was the moment I knew. I realized I could speak to people through music. I could speak for people and express things they didn’t know how to say themselves. The energy of the crowd became my medicine, my prayer.

How has the internet changed how you do what you do?

One of the first things I did was search online for where people hire musicians. I found SoundBetter and listed myself as a singer. Seventy-five dollars and I’ll sing your track. A guy hired me, listened to my recording, and said, “You obviously have a really great voice, but this is crap. Get a better setup or I’m not going to pay you.” I tried again with my six-dollar Windows mic, he accepted it, and with that $75 I bought a better microphone.

After about five years on SoundBetter, I was making around $5,000 a month. The internet was paying my rent and healthcare through people I’d never met. When the world shut down, there was no interruption in my ability to make a living.

Now my music and advocacy are completely intertwined. Everything I create combines neurodivergence, disability, ASL, and high-quality musicianship and visuals. Learning how to deliver great work for clients taught me to care deeply about quality and respecting people’s time, and I bring that same ethic to everything I do today.

@lachimusic

It’s Disability Pride Month! We👏🏽 Are👏🏽 Out👏🏽 SIDE!! 🦾 I’m opening @Music Will Modern Band Summit in Fort Collins, CO with a Keynote July 22. The album MAGNIFICENT drops next Friday, July 10! 👑 And I’ve got a bunch more show dates you can find on my BandsinTown. Link in bio! Let’s move!!⚡ [VIDEO – Lachi speaks to the camera wearing a shiny silver top.]

♬ original sound – Lachi 🌻

How has the internet helped you find and build your community?

One of the biggest things the internet has helped me do is find my audience. A few years ago I asked, “Who is the Lachi fan?” The analytics said women between 18 and 39. Then last July, a couple of posts went massively viral. They brought in a huge number of followers and completely changed what we thought we knew.

It turns out young Black women and gays love me. That’s what I found out. Once you understand who you’re speaking to, you can create more intentionally for them. And once you find your niche, your audience actually grows because people understand what you stand for and want to be part of it. It also shaped what I wanted to create. If we’re going to talk about disability and accessibility in a high-fashion, fun way, it has to be polished, humorous, cheeky, and liberating. That’s something I learned directly from the community I’ve built online.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve carried with you?

One of the biggest lessons I carry is that we’re all masking. Everyone is trying to hide something, whether it’s a fear of being seen as weak, inferior, or too much. We hide the most beautiful freckle of ourselves just to appear normal. But that thing is your biggest visionary. It’s what makes your purpose possible. Living life with the mask off is how you become truly liberated. I’ve done my best to live that way and not be afraid to share my freckle.

What advice would you give someone five or ten years behind you?

Always stay ready, stay informed, stay up to date, and stay curious. Education doesn’t have to look like school. It can simply be knowing the other creators in your field and understanding what they’re doing. Success is a numbers game. The opportunity that changes your life will come, but you have to be ready when it does. Instead of chasing algorithms, work on your craft. Read, study, and understand what’s happening in your field. If your skills are strong, you’ll recognize the opportunity when it arrives.

The other piece, and honestly the most important, is to connect with your peers. Your colleagues are not your competitors because they can’t be you. You are the product. They are their product. Live with an abundance mindset instead of a scarcity mindset. There is no scarcity. Your lived experience is completely unique, and the more experiences you can bring into your art, even those that aren’t your own, the richer your work becomes.

What do you look for when you’re judging for the Anthem Awards?

The Anthem Awards are different because they’re all about impact. The projects that excite me most are the ones where communities come together to improve their own experiences and make themselves more visible.

It could be something as simple as a basketball team creating a documentary about their community or a group of kids coming together to tell their story. I love seeing people collaborate to create work that improves lives, builds representation, and shines a light on the communities they care about.

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Set the New Standard for Good: Submit before Friday, September 18th!

If you’re creating standout social impact work, enter it in the 6th Annual Anthem Awards. With expanded honors recognizing purpose-driven work across industries, there are more opportunities than ever to have your work recognized. Submit your entry before the Extended Deadline on Friday, September 18 and join the community setting the new standard for good.