Autism Speaks with Katy Perry and Jodi DiPiazza
Music is a powerful thing and, as cheesy as it may sound, I believe it can have the power to bring about hope and change in someone’s life. I found this to be true when I witnessed the heartfelt duet at Comedy Central’s Night of Too Many Stars benefit supporting autism awareness between Katy Perry and Jodi DiPiazza, a young girl diagnosed with autism. Among the celebrities who attended the show, besides Katy Perry, were Tina Fey, Jon Stewart, and Carly Rae Jepsen. However, nothing compared to the “Firework” rendition between Katy Perry and Jodi DiPiazza that brought both tears and a standing ovation through the audience.
Jodi Dipiazza was diagnosed with autism at the early age of two years old. Although she appeared to show no signs at first, her frequent temper tantrums and sudden aggressiveness led doctors to identify mild autism in the young girl. Jodi’s parent worried that she would never learn in school, let alone be able to speak, and feared that all their hopes and dreams for Jodi would disappear. That is until they discovered her love for music. She found a connection with music at an early age, and would go straight to her keyboard whenever she heard something that she liked on the radio or TV. It’s practically a miracle that she is able to sing and make herself known through music.
During the performance, Jodi was accompanied by Katy Perry in an acoustic version of “Firework”. With Katy’s band there to assist, Jodi stole the show playing the piano and singing alongside Ms. Perry. While this was a memory that would last a lifetime for Jodi, who claims that Katy Perry is one of her favorite singers, Ms. Perry later tweeted, ”I will never forget last night. It was the most important moment thus far of what I do.” I’m not much of a crier when it comes to this kind of stuff, but watching this video really moved me. It’s an inspiration and it shows how much of an impact music can have on us. Check out the link below to watch the performance yourself–the song has never been performed better than this.
Katy Perry and Jodi DiPiazza sing at Night of Too Many Stars