Visually impaired musician releases inspiring debut track

Amelia Jones

A young visually impaired musician from north Wales has released his debut single, using his personal journey to inspire others with sight loss.

Phillip Jones, 22, from Caernarfon said his new release ‘Diolch I Chdi‘ talks about his experience of being in a “dark and lonely place” when he was young.

Jones, who works for a law firm, says that the message of the song is to say “Thank you” to all his friends and family for their support and that there is light at the end of a dark period in life.

He told Nation.Cymru that he was inspired by his school friend and Welsh singer-songwriter Elidyr Glyn, best known as the lead vocalist and primary composer of band Bwncath.

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He said: “He was my one to one in school so our friendship is really close. I am also close with the other members of Bwncath.

“However, the message behind this song is to thank all my friends and family for the support that helped me deal with visual impairment.”

Jones was born prematurely with sight loss, after his optic nerve hadn’t formed properly, meaning he can’t see beyond about two metres and has no peripheral vision.

He has been performing for almost two years, mainly playing Welsh folk covers at local pubs, but talked about gradually adding originals to his set list.

He described this single as a milestone in his career: “I have only been playing guitar for a few years. Eldidyr bought me my first guitar when I was 18, but I really didn’t put my head into it until I was about 20.”

Jones has previously spoken about ‘giving his everything’ to learning to play guitar, taking time to slowly learn to play Bwncath‘s songs.

As for his future plans, Jones hopes to release a full album and secure a record deal, which he believes will open doors for him and his band.

His ultimate dream is to take the stage at the National Eisteddfodd, and share his music with a wider audience.

You can listen to his debut single here.