VOICE STAR RELEASES CLASSIC XMAS SONG WHICH WILL BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE

Voice star Dylan Marguccio, who wowed the judges on The Voice Australia, has released a powerful rendition of John Lennon’s classic Christmas song to raise funds for the Australians living with muscular dystrophy.

The 18-year-old, who relies on a wheelchair, has the most severe type of Muscular Dystrophy called Duchenne, which significantly impacts his quality of life.

The average life expectancy for this type of Muscular Dystrophy is the early 20s. Due to muscle degeneration, it is not known when Dylan will lose his ability to sing.

Dylan first won the hearts of judges Delta Goodrem and Guy Sebastian with his crowd-winning performance of ‘I Want you Back’ in the blind auditions of The Voice Australia in Season 9, and now Muscular Dystrophy Australia is calling on all Australians to get behind Dylan’s dream to have his song hit the airwaves this Christmas.

The song ‘Happy Xmas (War is Over)’ was produced by Angus Davidson, one of the top sound engineers in the world, working with well-known groups including INXS, Crowded House and KISS.

“I’m determined to show all Australians that people with disabilities can do anything. I’ve loved singing ever since I was given a karaoke machine when I was young, and nothing was going to stop me from becoming a recording artist,” Dylan said.

“Now, to have had a song produced by the same guy behind bands like Crowded House and INXS is a dream come true, so watch out Harry Styles - I’m coming for that Number 1 spot!”

“Seriously, if my Christmas song can raise money to help other kids living with Muscular Dystrophy, and go towards finding a cure for the disease, that would be incredible.

"Ironically, one of the top research centres in the world for muscular dystrophy is in the city where I live - Melbourne. All funds raised will go to their muscle lab research centre at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI).”

Muscular Dystrophy is a disease affecting more than 40,000 people in Australia. Dylan hopes to fund researchers who are on the cusp of breakthroughs to find a cure for the Australians who live with one of the 60 different types of Muscular Dystrophy, each of whom have one thing in common – weak and degenerative muscles.

MDA founder Boris M Struk said that Dylan’s Christmas song would support MDA’s important work towards a world without Muscular Dystrophy, a disease that doesn’t discriminate affecting babies, children and adults alike.

“It’s a common misconception that Muscular Dystrophy is only diagnosed at an early age, but it can affect people at any age, from in-utero right up to a late diagnosis at the age of 60 plus,” Boris said.

"It also affects both males and females, and can impact many parts of the body, such as the legs, limbs, spine or knees, depending on the type of Muscular Dystrophy.”

While many Australians live invisibly with the disease, not even aware that they have it until their muscles become weaker as they age, sadly those with the most common form of Muscular Dystrophy called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, are severely impacted.

“900 Australian boys are currently living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, including Dylan. Unfortunately, most of them are confined to a wheelchair from the age of six, and have a shortened life span of up to 40 years with an average of 25 years.," Mr Struk said.

“Our hope is that Dylan’s Christmas song can raise funds to aid clinical trials, so that no other parent needs to lose a child to this dreadful disease.”

Fortunately, the future for those living with Muscular Dystrophy is brighter than ever, thanks to incredible clinical trials which are currently being led by Muscular Dystrophy Australia Fellowship recipient, Dr Chantal Coles, at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s Muscle Lab.

Dr Coles research aims to use stem cells from patients with Muscular Dystrophy to grow them into skeletal muscle cells in the lab, so that the disease can be studied, and the research has already led to incredible discoveries including muscle growth and regeneration.

‘Happy Xmas (War is Over)’ by Dylan Marguccio is available to purchase now via iTunes and Spotify, with every dollar raised helping to fund research to help those affected by Muscular Dystrophy.

Find out more, make a donation, and to watch Dylan’s video clip for ‘Happy Xmas (War is Over), please visit https://mda-christmas-appeal-2023.raisely.com/