A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at an incredible event organized by TEAM Work Cooperative. Our talk was titled: “Courage to Trust Your Authentic Self: Where Belonging Happens”. We wanted to emphasize the connection between authenticity and belonging. The talk ended with Bradley and I leading the audience in song. Together we belted out Tracy Chapman’s legendary, “Fast Car”. It was a cool moment, one I’ll remember for a long time.
If you weren’t there, it’s all good: We captured it on video (starting around 20 seconds)!
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In 1988, Tracy Chapman was thrilled to be at Wembley Stadium in London, about to perform for the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert. This was a worldwide event calling for Mandela’s freedom and uniting people against apartheid. For Tracy, a newcomer to the world stage, it felt surreal. The crowd was huge, the stakes high, and she was just grateful to be there. Having just sold hundreds of copies of her album at this point in her career, she had no idea this moment would change everything.
Early in the day, Tracy took the stage, performed her set, and, satisfied, walked off, thinking her part was done. Though the stadium was far from capacity, it was special to perform in front of the thousands there. She’d sung her songs, had her moment, and it was time to enjoy the rest of the performance.
Later that day though, something happened that would change her life forever – Stevie Wonder’s synthesizers malfunctioned, leaving the organizers scrambling. They needed a replacement fast. Stevie was unable to take the stage, and the crowd was growing restless. There was a sense of urgency and a million details flashing by, and organizers turned to find Tracy Chapman, backstage by her guitar. They asked if she’d be willing to fill in. She’d have to go back onstage without time to prepare, in front of an audience 10x bigger than earlier that day. Without thinking, she said ‘yes’. She stepped into the light again, lifted her guitar, and began to sing.
The stadium quieted as she opened with “Fast Car”. Her voice, shaky from nerves, quickly found itself and became clear and unguarded. The audience leaned in as she sang: “I had a feeling that I belonged, I had a feeling I could be someone”.
As she moved from song to song, each word carried the weight of her truth, her experiences, and her hope for a better world. “Fast Car,” a song of resilience and dreams, felt alive, a reflection of the very freedom that Mandela’s legacy represented. As she sang, her presence filled the stadium, powerful yet gentle, reaching not just the thousands before her but the millions watching around the world.
For a few minutes, Wembley Stadium was captivated by her voice, her honesty, and her story. She left the stage not knowing just how deeply she had touched everyone who heard her. But soon, it was clear—the concert had changed everything. “Fast Car” began climbing the charts, her album sales surged, and the world was listening.
From that night on, Tracy Chapman’s voice became an anthem of hope and social change. In her own quiet, humble way, she had stepped up, trusted her voice, and shared her truth.
Her story is a testament to how authenticity not only fosters belonging but can create lasting impact. What if Tracy had never trusted her intuition to write her songs? What if she didn’t believe she belonged on the world stage? There is so much potential when you let yourself be you.
So, what’s your ‘Fast Car’ moment? What truth are you read
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