Musician, frontline healthcare worker uses music to build hope

Songs came to the emergency department nurse while looking for a different way to help people through their pain

Tad Worku, musician and emergency medicine nurse, writes music to offer hope to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Worku canceled his 2020 tour in the wake of the epidemic but still hopes people can find comfort in the music created from his unique perspective.

Worku, a son of Ethiopian immigrants, is no stranger to music or medicine. The emergency department nurse has toured and performed with Grammy award-winning musicians and producers who created hits for Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson and more.

Now, in a time of anxiety and uncertainty, Worku hopes people will find encouragement and strength in his music. “My initial goal was to provide music to healthcare workers with their unique perspective in mind,” he says. “Now, with everything happening in the world, I know these songs can be a bright spot during a dark time.”

In one of the songs of Worku’s recent album, I Will Be Found, says, “When the morning’s hard to see, when you’re broken on your knees, when you’re falling free, in the stillness I will be, and then you’ll hear the sound, telling you ‘You will be found.’”

Worku was poised for a successful career in the music industry, gaining fans who genuinely connected with his music and playing in celebrated venues throughout the world. In 2012, he was one of the youngest performers regularly headlining at Yoshi’s in San Francisco and was on the brink of signing a touring contract for his band.

Worku was offered funding through a grant that promised to finance his tour and propel him into the next step toward a career in the music industry. However, the contract came with conditions: he could not write about politics or religion. Worku, a Christian whose faith is paramount to his story, had to decide between fame and faith.

He turned down the grant, realizing the cost of the themes which were so central to his and others’ experience was too high.

Worku began a nursing program, and through his work as an emergency department nurse, he realized that helping people in the peak of their pain and vulnerability shifted his perspective about what was important. “I began to write music again,” he says. “But this time, I fully leaned into the mission of caring for both a person’s body and soul.”

His intimate knowledge of healthcare, the time he’s spent with those in the worst of their suffering and his love of bringing people together to support one another all contribute to his success as a musician.

COVID-19 has affected Worku in more ways than just his job as a nurse. Professionally, the shuttering of local venues has required him to cancel his tour. While he misses performing on stage, he is now focusing on using his skills as an ER nurse and musician to make a difference.

“When I started writing music again, I wanted to use it to bring hope to those in need. It feels like my experience in the ER and as a singer/songwriter have uniquely prepared me for this uncertain time.”

Worku has a newfound appreciation for his work as a musician. “It’s humbling to realize the power of music in times like these,” he says. “Until we can be close to each other again, I’m hopeful my music will bring a little light and love into this situation.”