Tobias laid eyes on a piano for the first time only nine years ago. That was the day he stepped into the life of his foster caregivers and where he could finally be himself.
As a child, he struggled to feel safe in his own home.
"Scared all the time. Very very tough," Tobias says.
"I did feel loved. But I didn't feel safe love and didn't feel like it was the right love."
Tobias' turnaround came when Oranga Tamariki placed him in a new home.
Through his years of childhood, he found his passion for music, among other passions.
Tobias, like hundreds of others, has foster mums and dads who share their homes and help inspire those who are vulnerable.
Seven Sharp visited him at Whanganui High School, where the Year 13 student was busy rehearsing for an upcoming school production.
"Talent, there's absolute talent," says Natalie Campbell, the school's head of arts.
"You can see when Tobias is doing his thing. It just comes from the heart. It's his comfort zone... Whatever he wants, that boy will get."
Now that he's turned 18, Tobias is ready to take on the world.
For the full story, watch the video above.
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