Greg Kellner is a New York-based educator and community music leader. He has spent his life teaching through signing and playing guitar. In 2019, brain cancer took his singing voice, putting his teaching career on temporary hold. Seven years later, he was introduced to ElevenLabs via the Impact Program, and has since recreated his singing voice through ElevenMusic based on old recordings.
Abdi Omar never had a spoken voice because of cerebral palsy. He designed his own voice from scratch using ElevenLabs Voice Designer. His voice is unique to him, and reflects his individuality. He is now a rap artist using ElevenMusic to help write and produce his tracks.
On November 11 at ElevenLabs New York Summit, both Kellner and Omar took to the stage and performed new songs, using their ElevenMusic singing voices. They are two of the first recipients of the new initiative launched by the ElevenLabs Impact team at the Summit. Today, people living with permanent voice loss can now get free access to ElevenMusic, so artists who can no longer sing can keep composing and releasing music.
ElevenLabs also welcomed a new 1 Million Voices partner in NYU Langone Health, one of the country’s leading medical centers. Through 1 Million Voices, ElevenLabs provides free, lifetime access to voice restoration for people living with permanent voice loss. The program has helped more than 11,000 people with ALS, motor neurone disease (MND), head and neck cancer, and other conditions speak again in a voice that sounds like their own. ElevenLabs aims to restore 1 Million Voices, a $1 billion in-kind commitment. It reaches people through nonprofit, clinical, and assistive technology partners around the world.
On stage, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), the nation’s leading veterans service organization, was announced as another Impact Program partner. This collaboration will explore how ElevenLabs technology can help veterans maintain connection, communication, and independence.
Free ElevenMusic for artists with voice loss
Until now, 1 Million Voices has focused on speech. Now, it extends to song. People with permanent voice loss can now access ElevenMusic for free to write and release music in their own voices.
ElevenLabs is launching the program with Songwriters of North America (SONA), which will verify eligibility and distribute access to its members and the wider songwriting community. More partner organizations will join in the coming months.
“Voice restoration has always been about more than getting basic needs met. It’s about being truly heard, in all the ways that make us human. With ElevenMusic, artists living with voice loss can keep creating, sharing their stories, and making music in a voice that’s entirely their own,” said Gabi Leibowitz, Head of Impact at ElevenLabs.
Supporting veterans with Wounded Warrior Project
The partnership with WWP® launches on Veterans Day and centers on veterans living with voice loss. ElevenLabs will lead an educational workshop for WWP teammates on how voice AI can support warriors experiencing permanent voice loss, blindness, or low vision.
Beyond voice restoration, the two organizations will explore how voice technology can connect more veterans and their families to services and programs.
“The needs of our nation’s veterans are complex, and we are committed to ensuring those who served have the quality of life they deserve,” said Chris Stuart, chief information officer at Wounded Warrior Project. “That includes harnessing technology, including AI, to reach more warriors with the care and support they need, whenever they need it. Partners like ElevenLabs help make that possible, and we’re excited to build a relationship that expands access to resources and helps us better meet the evolving needs of veterans.”
NYU Langone Health joins 1 Million Voices
ElevenLabs’ free voice restoration program is now being offered directly to patients at NYU Langone Health, one of the country’s leading academic medical centers. Through NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation, the program is available as an assistive technology resource for individuals experiencing permanent voice loss related to ALS, head and neck cancer, stroke, and other conditions. Eligible patients can access the program through their rehabilitation care team to create a personalized digital voice that sounds like their own, at no cost.
1 Million Voices is ElevenLabs’ $1 billion in-kind commitment to restore the voices of one million people worldwide, and has already helped more than 11,000 people with disabilities speak again in their own voice.
People living with permanent voice loss can apply for free voice restoration through the ElevenLabs Impact Program. Nonprofits, hospitals, and other organizations that support people with disabilities can become a partner.
