Former Paralympian Zoe Edge Achieves Lifelong Singing Ambition with AI Technology

Zoe Edge, a former Paralympian from Derbyshire, has embarked on a new phase of her life focused on music. Born with severe athetoid cerebral palsy, she views her disability not as a constraint. Edge earned a silver medal in boccia at the 1996 Paralympic Games and has since dedicated her efforts to fundraising for various charitable causes. She has now collaborated with a music producer in Chesterfield to fulfill a long-held aspiration: to produce her own music utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Zoe, 50, stated: “I have written song lyrics since I was a teenager, but because of my disability, I have never been able to sing or record them until now.” She added: “However, thanks to innovative new technology, I have been able to have a ‘voice’.” Her passion for pop music began in the 1980s, drawing inspiration from groups such as Bros and New Kids on the Block. Edge navigates her Chesterfield home using an electric chair and communicates through a specialized computer-generated voice. Her father, Mick Edge, noted her consistent determination “not to let her disability hold her back.” Her boccia career involved global travel, culminating in a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. Subsequently, she has engaged in fundraising for numerous charities, including a sponsored “roll across the pitch” for her favored Chesterfield Football Club in early 2024. Working alongside producer Lyn Sheppard, Zoe has now realized her dream, creating a Christmas song titled “You Must Still Believe in Make-Believe.” Mr. Sheppard commented: “The mission was clear, she wanted to sing in her own voice on an original song.” He continued: “We eventually discovered AI, we found a sound she liked, and that’s where we are now.” Dylis Edge, Zoe’s mother, expressed that “she cannot believe” her daughter’s accomplishment. “It’s just unreal,” she remarked. “She has difficulty saying her own words, and now she has her own singing voice thanks to AI. It’s brilliant!” Mr. Edge affirmed that he will “always be proud” of his daughter. He further stated: “She’s amazing at what she’s done,” adding, “She never lets anything hold her back. It makes us so proud of her.” Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.