ElevenLabs extends its voice restoration program to music. At the ElevenLabs New York Summit on November 11, the company announced that individuals who have permanently lost their voice can now use ElevenMusic for free to compose and publish songs with their own voice. The same day, it announced new partnerships with NYU Langone Health and Wounded Warrior Project.
Two artists showcased new tracks performed with their AI-generated singing voices on stage at the Summit. Greg Kellner, a New York-based educator and community music leader, lost his singing voice in 2019 when a brain tumor affected him, pausing his teaching career. Seven years later, he discovered ElevenLabs through the Impact program and recreated his voice from old recordings. Abdi Omar, who has cerebral palsy, never had a speaking voice. He built his own from scratch using ElevenLabs Voice Designer and now uses ElevenMusic to help write and produce his rap tracks. Both are among the first beneficiaries of this new initiative from the Impact team.
A free offering for musicians deprived of their voice
Until now, the 1 Million Voices program focused on speech. It now extends to singing. Individuals with permanent voice loss can access ElevenMusic free of charge to write and publish music with their own voice. ElevenLabs is launching this offering with the Songwriters of North America (SONA), which will verify applicant eligibility and distribute access to its members and the broader songwriter community. Other partner organizations are set to join the program in the coming months.
“Voice restoration has always been about more than meeting essential needs, ” said Gabi Leibowitz, Impact Lead at ElevenLabs. “It’s about being truly heard, in all the ways that make us human. With ElevenMusic, artists who have lost their voice can continue to create, share their stories, and make music with a voice that is entirely their own.”
Partnerships with the non-profit and medical worlds
ElevenLabs also welcomed NYU Langone Health, one of the country’s leading medical centers, as a new partner in 1 Million Voices. Through Rusk Rehabilitation, the institution now offers the program to patients as an assistive technology resource, including for those who have lost their voice due to ALS, head and neck cancer, stroke, or other conditions. Eligible patients can access it through their rehabilitation care team to create a personalized digital voice, free of charge.
According to ElevenLabs, 1 Million Voices represents a $1 billion in-kind commitment to restore the voice of one million people worldwide. The program has already helped over 11,000 individuals with ALS, motor neuron disease (MND), head and neck cancers, and other conditions speak again with a voice that resembles their own. It relies on non-profit, clinical, and assistive technology partners around the world.
Wounded Warrior Project®, which describes itself as the nation’s leading veterans service organization, was also announced as a partner in the Impact program. The partnership, launched on Veterans Day, will focus on veterans with voice loss. ElevenLabs will host an educational workshop for the organization’s teams on how voice AI can support veterans suffering from permanent voice loss, blindness, or low vision. “The needs of our veterans are complex, ” said Chris Stuart, Chief Information Officer of Wounded Warrior Project, “and we want to ensure those who served get the quality of life they deserve.” The two organizations will also explore how voice technology can help veterans and their families access services and programs.
