Hayling Island autistic teenager sees music video success thanks to Havant group 'turning his life around'

Jack Davies, 17, has seen the first music video for his rapping alter-ego – Jack2Drippyy – rack up thousands of views online.

I was produced by Havant charity Music Fusion, based in East Street.

A doctor introduced the family to the group – which helps provide music making activities for vulnerable and in-need young people – after the teenager suffered a crash in his mental health in 2020.

His spiralling mental health resulted in a series of visits to hospital.

Now Jack’s mum, Katie, said her son ‘wouldn’t be here’ if it wasn’t for the charity’s work – and hopes that Jack’s ordeal will inspire others in a similar position to seek out the group’s support.

The 37-year-old mum of three said: ‘Music has saved him. It has kept him gong.

‘2020 was whole low year for us. I can’t say it was purely due to the lockdown – his meds weren’t right, he had changed doctors.

‘It was a bit of everything – he was that low, he couldn’t express himself. He did cut himself. We had to lock everything away. It was a really, really tough time.

‘I was banging on doors of anyone’s door who could help me.’

Jack said it was ‘amazing’ to see the finished music video for his single ‘Understand’, coming after a ‘pretty rubbish’ year.

He added: ‘It looked amazing – it looked really good. I am writing a few new songs now.’

Now Jack’s one-to-one sessions with staff at Music Fusion are being funded by the NHS, and Katie is calling for more funding to go towards children and adults’ mental health services (CAMHS) so other families do not have to go through their ordeal.

Despite Jack’s mental health resulting in dozens of emergency hospital visits in July 2020, it wasn’t until four months later that a bed in a psychiatric intensive care unit was found.

But the bed was in a Southampton unit – meaning a two-hour round trip for the family.

Katie said: ‘They opened up a nationwide search for a psychiatric intensive care bed and they couldn’t get him one.

‘There just isn’t enough funding in CAMHS.’

Jack is now hoping to start a course in music production at the City of Liverpool College.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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