His soulful-acoustic, folk-pop sound might not be the first thing you notice about 25-year-old Justin Hines. The Canadian singing sensation is in a wheelchair as a result of living with Larsen Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes his major joints to dislocate on a regular basis.

“I know my physical situation is a bit of an attention-grabber, but as an artist and performer, it’s my job to hold the audience’s attention and let the music speak for itself,” Justin Hines says. “Sometimes people find it hard to understand why I would be so positive. I was born into my situation. I don’t know any different, and I feel very fortunate because of my family and all the support that I have.”

The Beginning
Justin’s mother started singing to him as a baby, when she wasn’t sure he’d live through the first fragile years of his life. It makes sense then that people have told him that he was carrying a tune before he was talking.

“My grandmother Margaret always had this thing that I was going to be a singer. She had me singing in church and for relatives…,” he says. While these early singing experiences served as warm-ups to help ward off any possible stage fright, Justin’s career got a real jumpstart when he was 14 years old.

At that young age, Justin won a radio contest that landed him at a Raptors game singing the Canadian national anthem in front of 17,000 people. The popular gig got him high-level exposure but pushed him in a pop-music direction for which he didn’t feel suited. With his career seemingly headed in the wrong direction, Justin decided to make an album that really reflected him.

Music Matters More Than Disability
To build his soul-searching debut, “Sides,” Justin culled 14 tracks from the more than 30 he’s composed over the past several years. The result is a poetic summation of the “glass is half full” worldview that so often appears in both his life and his art.

In talking about his music, he says, “Honestly, I don’t remember wanting to do anything else, period.” Justin adds that music is as essential as breathing, and that feeling seems to emanate from every song included on “Sides.” The track "Wish You Well" however, was most successful at building major advance buzz for the release and is even featured on Wal-Mart ads for the “Walk for Miracles” charity event.

But this isn’t the only way Justin is tying his music to activism. He’s putting the success of the album to work for charity with performances at fundraising events (which began at the age of 10) that are too numerous to list. He’s determined to make his talent work for the benefit of humanity without becoming merely a poster boy for those with disabilities.

“I’ve always believed that being so-called physically disadvantaged can be a tremendous tool to inspire people. I look at it as an advantage rather than as a disadvantage," Justin told the Toronto Sun. “It gives me an instant identity, but then again, I don't want to be known as the musician in a wheelchair.”

To learn more about his fundraising endeavors, visit www.JustinHines.org.