ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Esha Alwani - Singer-songwriter
Esha Alwani's message to the world is simple: "Music is healing therapy, and we need to make a place for it in our lives."

Why you should listen

Esha Alwani's passion for singing, songwriting and performing started at a young age. It quickly gained priority in her life when she realized that music had the ability to help manage the symptoms of her neurological disorder, Tourette's syndrome. She shares a message of positivity, hope and perseverance to people in similar situations.

A singer-songwriter from the happy island of Aruba, Alwani wrote and recorded her first EP, Beautiful, with a desire to share her music and awareness of the healing effects of music. She quickly found herself in partnerships with the Autism Foundation of Aruba and the Tourette Association of America, and she appeared at the TAA annual conference in 2016 in Arlington, Virginia.

Soon after the release of her second EP, Dangerous, Alwani began performing as the opening act for international superstars on some of Aruba's biggest stages. From arena shows with audiences of 10,000 -- opening for artists like Alicia Keys and Maluma -- to private events with artists like Nicky Jam and companies like Hublot and Cartier. Alwani has also performed at two sold-out performances at the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee.

More profile about the speaker
Esha Alwani | Speaker | TED.com
TED-Ed Weekend

Esha Alwani: What it's like to have Tourette's -- and how music gives me back control

Esha Alwani: Como é ter a síndrome de Tourette e como a música me devolve o controle

Filmed:
412,811 views

Esha Alwani começou a compor canções quando tinha seis anos de idade, pouco depois de ter sido diagnosticada com a síndrome de Tourette. E ela notou algo incrível: sempre que tocava música, seus tiques involuntários desapareciam de repente. Ouça junto enquanto Alwani explora o poder da música e encanta o público com uma apresentação etérea de sua balada de piano "I'm Not Loving You (My Mask)".
- Singer-songwriter
Esha Alwani's message to the world is simple: "Music is healing therapy, and we need to make a place for it in our lives." Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
I'd like you to imagine
what it would feel like
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Eu gostaria que vocês
imaginassem como seria
00:16
if, for two whole minutes,
your left arm was continuously flapping,
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se, por dois minutos inteiros, seu braço
esquerdo ficasse balançando sem parar,
00:21
your eyes were constantly rolling,
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seus olhos ficassem girando
constantemente,
00:23
your jaw was clenching so hard
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sua mandíbula apertasse tão forte
00:25
that it felt like your teeth
were about to break,
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que parecesse que seus dentes
estão prestes a quebrar,
00:28
and every ten seconds,
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e, a cada dez segundos,
00:30
you were forced to let out
a loud, high-pitched screech.
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vocês fossem forçados a soltar
um grito alto e estridente.
00:34
(Tic)
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(Tique)
00:37
This is how I lived
at the young age of six,
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Foi assim que vivi
com a idade de seis anos,
00:40
every waking moment, seven days a week.
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a todo momento, sete dias por semana.
00:43
(Tic)
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(Tique)
00:44
And these were only some of my symptoms.
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E esses eram apenas alguns
de meus sintomas.
00:48
When these symptoms surfaced,
my life literally changed overnight.
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Quando esses sintomas surgiram, minha vida
literalmente mudou da noite para o dia.
00:52
I could no longer go to school,
see my friends or even eat out,
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Eu não podia mais ir à escola,
ver meus amigos ou até comer fora,
00:56
because my tics would attract
the attention of everyone in the room.
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porque meus tiques atraíam
a atenção de todos na sala.
01:01
In search for a cure, we flew to New York
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Em busca de uma cura,
viajamos para Nova York
01:04
to meet with the best pediatric
neuropsychologist my parents could find.
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para encontrar o melhor neuropsicólogo
pediátrico que meus pais pudessem achar.
01:09
(Tic)
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(Tique)
01:11
But the doctor did not give us
the easy remedy we had hoped for.
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Mas a médica não nos deu
o remédio fácil que esperávamos.
01:15
Instead, she diagnosed me
with an incurable neurological disorder,
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Em vez disso, ela me diagnosticou
com um distúrbio neurológico incurável:
01:20
Tourette syndrome.
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a síndrome de Tourette.
01:22
Oftentimes, medication can be
an essential and valuable part
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Muitas vezes, a medicação pode ser
uma parte essencial e valiosa
01:26
of many treatment processes.
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de muitos processos de tratamento.
01:28
But in my case, the drugs
only made things worse.
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Mas, em meu caso, os medicamentos
só pioravam as coisas.
01:32
One drug put me in a wheelchair,
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Um deles me colocou numa cadeira de rodas,
01:34
because my legs had gotten so numb
that I couldn't move them.
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porque minhas pernas ficaram tão dormentes
que eu não conseguia movê-las.
01:39
Another one caused me to hallucinate.
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Outro me causava alucinações.
01:41
I would see green people running after me,
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Eu via pessoas verdes
correndo atrás de mim,
01:43
threatening to boil me in a pot
and drink me as soup.
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ameaçando me ferver numa panela
e me tomar como sopa.
01:46
And it was really scary.
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Era realmente assustador.
01:48
We tried drug after drug
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Tentamos um medicamento atrás do outro
01:50
to find something that would bring me
some sort of relief.
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para encontrar algo que me traria
algum tipo de alívio.
01:53
But every single attempt
just ended up making things worse.
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Mas todas as tentativas
acabavam piorando as coisas.
01:59
It is estimated that in 2013
in the United States alone,
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Estima-se que, em 2013,
somente nos Estados Unidos,
02:04
the prescription drug expenditure
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o gasto com medicamentos prescritos
02:05
to treat neurological conditions
and mental illness
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para tratar condições neurológicas
e doenças mentais
02:08
was about 89 billion dollars annually.
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foi de cerca de US$ 89 bilhões anuais.
02:13
But imagine if there were a way
to treat these conditions
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Mas imaginem se houvesse um modo
de tratar essas condições
02:16
without a price or without side effects.
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sem um preço nem efeitos colaterais.
02:21
Imagine if your doctor prescribed you
a daily dose of music.
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Imaginem se seu médico lhes prescrevesse
uma dose diária de música.
02:26
I'm here today to share with you
my personal experience with music
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Estou aqui hoje para compartilhar
minha experiência pessoal com a música
02:30
and the effect that it had
on my neurological disorder.
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e o efeito que ela teve
em meu distúrbio neurológico.
02:33
(Tic)
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(Tique)
02:35
Tourette syndrome
is essentially a series
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A síndrome de Tourette
é basicamente uma série
de movimentos e sons involuntários,
02:38
of involuntary movements and sounds,
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02:40
known as tics.
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conhecidos como tiques.
02:42
The best way for me to really describe
what it's like to have Tourette syndrome
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A melhor maneira de descrever realmente
como é ter a síndrome de Tourette
02:46
is something I'm sure
you're all very familiar with --
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é algo com o qual vocês devem estar
bem familiarizados:
o soluço.
02:48
the hiccups.
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02:50
You can try to stop yourself from the act.
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Vocês podem tentar parar de soluçar,
02:52
You can hold your breath and count to 10,
or drink water upside down,
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prender a respiração e contar até dez,
ou beber água de cabeça para baixo,
02:56
but there is just nothing
you can do about it
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mas não há nada
que possam fazer a respeito
até que a sensação passe,
e o soluço tome seu rumo.
02:58
until the sensation passes
and the hiccups have taken their course.
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03:03
I often lay on my bedroom floor
after an attack of tics,
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Muitas vezes, deito no chão de meu quarto,
depois de um ataque de tiques,
03:07
feeling exhausted and in despair.
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sentindo-me exausta e desesperada.
03:09
(Tic)
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(Tique)
03:10
My equally desperate mother
would attempt to soothe me and herself
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Minha mãe, igualmente desesperada,
tentava nos acalmar
03:14
by putting on some music.
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colocando alguma música.
03:16
She would play peaceful music
to soothe our aching hearts.
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Ela tocava música tranquila
para acalmar nosso coração dolorido.
03:20
And we'd lie together on the floor
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E nos deitávamos juntas no chão
03:22
and allow the beat
of the drums to uplift us.
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e permitíamos que a batida
dos tambores nos elevasse.
03:25
And as the rhythms and the tunes unfolded,
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À medida que os ritmos
e as melodias se desdobravam,
03:27
our spirits would rise,
our moods would be lighter,
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nosso espírito elevava,
nosso humor ficava mais leve
03:31
and we would be rejuvenated.
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e ficávamos rejuvenescidas.
03:33
(Tic)
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(Tique)
03:35
Very soon, and rather unknowingly,
I became an addict of this newfound drug.
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Muito cedo, sem saber, fiquei viciada
nesse medicamento recém-descoberto.
03:40
When I found myself slipping
into my bouts of sadness and self-pity,
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Quando me vi decaindo em minhas
crises de tristeza e autopiedade,
03:44
I would rush to the 88 keys of my piano,
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corria para as 88 teclas de meu piano,
03:47
knowing in my heart that the tones
and rhythms from each one of those keys
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sabendo, em meu coração, que os tons
e os ritmos de cada uma daquelas teclas
03:51
would soon set me free.
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logo me libertariam.
03:53
At the time, I didn't realize
how much music was helping me.
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Na época, não percebi o quanto
a música estava me ajudando.
03:57
It was just something I did by default.
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Foi apenas algo que fiz por padrão.
03:59
When I wrote my songs,
it wasn't to impress anybody.
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Não escrevi minhas músicas
para impressionar ninguém.
04:02
It was just a release.
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Foi apenas uma libertação.
04:04
But the more I played,
the less my symptoms surfaced,
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Mas, quanto mais eu tocava,
menos meus sintomas surgiam,
04:07
and the intensity of my attacks reduced.
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e a intensidade de meus ataques diminuía.
04:10
So I became curious as to how
these songs were soothing my symptoms.
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Fiquei curiosa em saber como a música
aliviava meus sintomas.
04:14
And I wondered if there were
any other cases of medicinal music.
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E me perguntei se havia
outros casos de música medicinal.
04:19
So I began to search.
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Então, comecei a pesquisar.
04:22
I found that there was
a highly successful US congresswoman,
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Descobri uma congressista
norte-americana de muito sucesso,
04:25
Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head.
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Gabby Giffords, que foi baleada na cabeça.
04:28
She lost her ability to speak.
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Ela perdeu sua capacidade de falar.
04:31
Because the ability to speak
and the ability to sing
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Como a capacidade de falar e a de cantar
04:34
lay in two separate parts of the brain,
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ficam em duas partes distintas do cérebro,
04:36
her doctors brought in
music therapists to work with her.
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seus médicos trouxeram musicoterapeutas
para trabalhar com ela.
Os terapeutas a incentivaram
a cantar seus pensamentos,
04:39
The therapists encouraged her
to sing her thoughts,
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04:42
since she was incapable of speaking them.
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já que ela era incapaz
de falar sobre eles.
04:44
And through this technique,
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Por meio dessa técnica,
04:45
the congresswoman was finally able
to regain her speech.
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a congressista finalmente
conseguiu recuperar seu discurso.
04:49
Music helped heal Gabby Giffords.
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A música ajudou a curar Gabby Giffords.
04:53
Scientists have found that music causes
our brains to release a natural painkiller
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Os cientistas descobriram
que a música faz com que o cérebro
libere um analgésico natural
04:57
known as oxytocin
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conhecido como oxitocina
04:59
and a feel-good chemical, dopamine.
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e um produto químico
de bem-estar: a dopamina.
05:01
Dopamine is essential
for a healthy nervous system
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A dopamina é essencial
para um sistema nervoso saudável
05:04
and strongly impacts emotional health.
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e afeta fortemente a saúde emocional.
05:07
Music also affects our heart rate,
breathing and pulse rate,
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A música também afeta
nossa frequência cardíaca,
respiração e frequência do pulso,
05:11
as it stimulates blood flow.
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conforme estimula o fluxo sanguíneo.
05:13
In addition, it lowers
our cortisol levels,
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Além disso, diminui
nossos níveis de cortisol,
05:16
thus reducing anxiety,
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reduzindo assim a ansiedade,
05:17
which is a common stimulant
for neurological symptoms.
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que é um estimulante comum
para sintomas neurológicos.
05:22
In our lifetimes, we are all going to know
someone with a neurological disorder.
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Em nossa vida, todos nós vamos conhecer
alguém com um distúrbio neurológico.
05:27
If it's not a family member --
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Se não for um membro da família,
05:28
(Tic)
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(Tique)
05:30
it could be a friend or a coworker.
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pode ser um amigo
ou um colega de trabalho.
05:32
Please help me spread this message:
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Por favor, ajudem-me
a espalhar esta mensagem:
05:35
music has the ability to uplift our lives
and heal us from within.
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a música tem a capacidade
de elevar nossa vida
e de nos curar a partir de dentro.
05:40
I still have Tourette syndrome.
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Ainda tenho síndrome de Tourette.
05:42
I deal with it every day, every hour.
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Lido com isso todos os dias, toda hora.
05:44
I'm going to deal with it
for the rest of my life.
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Vou lidar com isso pelo resto da vida.
05:47
And that means that I have to frequently
excuse myself from my classroom,
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Isso significa que frequentemente tenho
que me desculpar em minha sala de aula,
05:50
because my verbal tics
can be extremely distracting.
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porque meus tiques verbais podem ser
extremamente distrativos.
05:53
That means that sometimes
when I wink my eyes involuntarily,
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Isso significa que, às vezes, quando
pisco os olhos involuntariamente,
05:57
the guy sitting opposite from me
thinks I'm flirting with him,
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o cara do outro lado pensa
que estou flertando com ele,
quando, na verdade, não estou.
06:00
when I'm really not.
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(Risos)
06:01
(Laughter)
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Tenho que dizer a ele: "Desculpe,
eu não estava tentando flertar".
06:02
And I have to tell him,
"Sorry -- I wasn't trying to flirt."
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06:05
But the most amazing thing is
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Mas o mais incrível
06:08
that when I sing, play music
and even just listen to music,
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é que, quando canto,
toco e até ouço música,
não tenho tiques.
06:12
I don't tic.
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06:14
I've been onstage numerous times
in highly stressful situations,
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Estive no palco inúmeras vezes
em situações altamente estressantes,
06:18
with thousands of people watching me.
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com milhares de pessoas me observando.
06:21
And while I do tic
before my performance --
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E, embora eu tenha tiques
antes de minha apresentação,
06:24
(Tic)
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(Tique)
06:25
when the music starts,
the tics take a back seat.
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quando a música começa,
eles ficam em segundo plano.
06:29
So I may have written my own lyrics
and composed my own music.
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Posso ter composto minhas próprias letras
e minha própria música,
06:34
But in reality, I've realized
it was the music that composed me.
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mas, na realidade, percebi
que foi a música que me compôs.
06:39
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
(Vivas) (Aplausos)
06:40
(Applause)
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06:49
(Tic)
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(Tique)
06:53
(Music)
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(Música de piano)
07:22
(Singing) I think I took
my mask off too soon
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♪ Acho que tirei
minha máscara cedo demais ♪
07:26
'Cause you were there
and then you were not
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♪ Porque você estava lá
e depois não estava ♪
07:29
I think I pushed it all onto you
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♪ Acho que empurrei tudo para você ♪
07:32
I should have dragged it out
dragged it out
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♪ Eu deveria ter arrastado isso,
arrastado para fora ♪
07:35
I think that maybe each time
I lose a bit of myself I put it back on
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♪ Acho que talvez, cada vez que perco
um pouco de mim, coloco de volta ♪
07:42
Just to fake it till I break
my own heart in two
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♪ Só para fingir até eu partir
meu próprio coração em dois ♪
07:51
And oh I wanted you
to know the real me
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♪ Ah, como eu queria que você
conhecesse meu verdadeiro eu ♪
07:57
And take it seriously
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♪ E o levasse a sério ♪
08:03
But now
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♪ Mas agora ♪
08:04
I'm not loving you
I'm not loving you
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♪ Não vou te amar, não vou te amar ♪
08:07
I'm not loving you
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♪ Não vou te amar ♪
08:11
I thought I could trust you
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♪ Achei que pudesse confiar em você ♪
08:13
But you're running away
from me and my mask
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♪ Mas você está fugindo de mim
e de minha máscara ♪
08:17
I'm not loving you
I'm not loving you
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♪ Não vou te amar, não vou te amar ♪
08:21
I'm not loving you
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♪ Não vou te amar ♪
08:30
Right now
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♪ Neste momento ♪
08:33
I think I took my mask off too soon
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♪ Acho que tirei
minha máscara cedo demais ♪
08:37
Because you screamed when I pulled it off
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♪ Porque você gritou quando eu a tirei ♪
08:40
You told me you were unprepared
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♪ Você me disse que não estava preparado ♪
♪ E assim, mesmo assim ♪
08:43
And like that
just like that
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08:46
I think that maybe this time
it hurt more than it ever has before
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♪ Acho que talvez desta vez
doesse mais do que nunca ♪
08:53
I think maybe this blow I took
was a little more
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♪ Acho que talvez esse golpe que tomei
tenha sido um pouco mais ♪
08:58
A little more
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♪ Um pouco mais ♪
09:01
And oh I wanted you
to know the real me
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♪ Ah, como eu queria que você
conhecesse meu verdadeiro eu ♪
09:08
And take it seriously
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♪ E o levasse a sério ♪
09:14
But now
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♪ Mas agora ♪
09:15
I’m not loving you
I'm not loving you
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♪ Não vou te amar, não vou te amar ♪
09:18
I'm not loving you
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♪ Não vou te amar ♪
09:21
I thought I could trust you
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♪ Achei que pudesse confiar em você ♪
09:24
But you're running away
from me and my mask
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♪ Mas você está fugindo de mim
e de minha máscara ♪
09:28
I'm not loving you
I'm not loving you
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♪ Não vou te amar, não vou te amar ♪
09:31
I'm not loving you
161
559941
2564
♪ Não vou te amar ♪
09:41
Right now
162
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3058
♪ Neste momento ♪
09:45
(Applause)
163
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(Aplausos) (Vivas)
Obrigada.
Translated by Maurício Kakuei Tanaka
Reviewed by Leonardo Silva

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Esha Alwani - Singer-songwriter
Esha Alwani's message to the world is simple: "Music is healing therapy, and we need to make a place for it in our lives."

Why you should listen

Esha Alwani's passion for singing, songwriting and performing started at a young age. It quickly gained priority in her life when she realized that music had the ability to help manage the symptoms of her neurological disorder, Tourette's syndrome. She shares a message of positivity, hope and perseverance to people in similar situations.

A singer-songwriter from the happy island of Aruba, Alwani wrote and recorded her first EP, Beautiful, with a desire to share her music and awareness of the healing effects of music. She quickly found herself in partnerships with the Autism Foundation of Aruba and the Tourette Association of America, and she appeared at the TAA annual conference in 2016 in Arlington, Virginia.

Soon after the release of her second EP, Dangerous, Alwani began performing as the opening act for international superstars on some of Aruba's biggest stages. From arena shows with audiences of 10,000 -- opening for artists like Alicia Keys and Maluma -- to private events with artists like Nicky Jam and companies like Hublot and Cartier. Alwani has also performed at two sold-out performances at the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee.

More profile about the speaker
Esha Alwani | Speaker | TED.com

Data provided by TED.

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