When Carina Ho became paralyzed in a car accident her immediate thought was that she would never be able to pursue her passions of performing music again. Ironically, it was from those tragic moments that her latest solo music project, ONIKHO was born.
While Carina recovered from a spinal fusion surgery, she found herself returning to her piano, which had been collecting dust for months. As a classically trained jazz and blues pianist, music had always been an outlet for expression.
“At first I first began writing simple songs that helped me cope with the harsh reality of a future with a spinal cord injury.”
However, as her musical ideas began to develop and take a life of their own, Carina was slowly able to glimpse into her ambitions of becoming a full-fledged musical artist. Although her idea of being a professional musician would look drastically different from what she had originally envisioned, she realized that her experience of surviving a devastating accident and having to completely redefine her identity gave her a compelling story to tell as well as an important mission: she could now use music as a platform to increase visibility for artists with disabilities.
Three years later Carina, now performing as ONIKHO, has released a music video for her single “Brave One” as well as a debut EP comprised of four songs that reflect her journey since her injury. As she begins to perform her music at local venues in Oakland, CA she is focused on sharing her music with communities of all colors, shapes and sizes to work towards breaking harmful stereotypes of people with disabilities.
“Looking back on my journey, music returned to my life as a sort of healing balm that allowed me to honestly discuss my pain as well as to reclaim control over my life.”
As ONIKHO releases her first works, she hopes that this is the beginning of a very long musical journey.
Watch her music video for Brave One below.
ONIKHO is an Oakland-based musician and producer who blends jazz, classical music, and blues with electronic sounds and beats. She sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2014 and since then has been active in pursuing her love of music and dance. She is currently a company member of AXIS Dance Company, a professional dance company that integrates dancers with and without disabilities.