Under the Manhattan lights

Sometimes, you have to leave everything behind to discover who you really are.

In 2002, Tyson McKenzie, a 19-year-old coloured boy from Cape Town, leaves behind his painful past and boards a plane to Manhattan after winning a prestigious scholarship to the Juilliard School.

Haunted by the loss of his parents and battling his own insecurities, Tyson arrives in New York - a city that never sleeps, where dreams are made and broken under blinding lights.

At Juilliard, his talent on stage is undeniable, but his cold and introverted nature makes him an easy target for jealousy and ridicule. Just when the weight of isolation threatens to consume him, Tyson crosses paths with Amelia Thompson, a gifted violinist whose warmth and understanding slowly break through his walls.

But fame comes with shadows.
Jealous rivals. Broken trust. Sacrifices he never imagined.

Tyson must decide:
Will he let his past define him... or rise beyond it to become the artist - and the man - he was born to be?

Under the Manhattan Lights is a coming-of-age masterpiece about love, self-discovery, ambition, and resilience.