Emmanuel Kelly

Emmanuel Kelly is an Australian singer-songwriter. He has toured internationally, including on the Music of the Spheres World Tour. Kelly initially rose to fame with his performances on The X Factor in Australia in 2011.

Early life

Kelly has stated that he was found as an infant, abandoned in a box on a battlefield, by soldiers in Iraq. He was taken in by nuns of the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Baghdad. In 1998, Emmanuel and his brother, Ahmed, met their adoptive mother, Moira Kelly, and two years later immigrated to Australia. He underwent surgery which allowed him to wear prostheses. He became an Australian citizen in 2009.

Career

At the age of 17, Kelly appeared on season 3 of The X Factor in Australia in 2011. After leaving The X Factor, Kelly toured and played at venues that included Sydney Opera House and MGM Grand Arena. In 2018, Kelly released "Hello," his first single. He was a show headliner with Grace Jones at London Fashion Week in 2021. In 2022, Kelly co-founded Outlyer Entertainment, a talent agency, record label, and production company which focuses on disabled cast and crew. He launched the agency at an event at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. He also opened for Coldplay on its Music of the Spheres World Tour the same year. The same year, he was the first disabled performer on the main stage of the Isle of Wight Festival.

In July 2026, Kelly performed at the inaugural 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show, curated by Chris Martin. He appeared in the show's finale alongside Coldplay, the PS22 Chorus and the Muppets, performing "We Dance", an original song written by Coldplay for the event.

Discography EPs + List of extended plays, with selected details Title Album details No Zodiac Released: 2024 Format: DVD, digital download Label: Vampr Distribution

Personal life

Kelly is the brother of Iraqi-born Australian Paralympic swimmer Ahmed Kelly.