Michael Gilas

It’s often when things are at their darkest that you find out who you truly are. Musician and songwriter Michael Gilas knows this first-hand. In a world that was spinning increasingly out of control, resilience, music and creativity got him through. A severe horseback riding accident in 2021 left Michael with a broken neck and wrist, bedridden and hardly able to move. He knew he would have to re-learn to walk and play the guitar, but the aftermath of the physical trauma was so severe he didn’t know if he would make it. At a turning-point moment, when Michael had been unable to leave his bed for weeks, he knew he had to change his outlook and find a reason to live again, or else he wouldn’t survive. With only the use of his thumbs, he began making notes in his phone of the melodies and lyrics that had been going through his head. He threw away the pain pills he had been taking and started focusing on music.“Music slowly guided me out of this dark hole,” Michael says.