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BSL interpreter's passion for accessible music

Rosie Eaton
BBC CWR
Charlotte Benton
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC A woman who is doing sign language standing in a gazebo next to the main stage at a festival. She is wearing black jeans and a navy top. A man is also standing to her side. BBC
Clare Edwards has signed at Olivia Rodrigo, Guns N' Roses and Clean Bandit concerts this summer

A British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter hailed for her energetic performances at Eurovision and Glastonbury has said she just wants to make music accessible to deaf people.

Clare Edwards from Coventry shot to social media fame when her flamboyant moves attracted the audience's attention.

Ms Edwards, who calls herself the Purple Interpreter and wears outfits to match the name, has already interpreted for Clean Bandit, Guns N' Roses, Stevie Wonder and Glastonbury headliner Olivia Rodrigo this summer alone.

She said "hours and hours" of preparation went into her performances, and it was "all about listening to the music and working out what the vibe is".

Ms Edwards said she had "always wanted to work in the theatre" and studied arts music and drama at university.

She started signing in the theatre and said she still did a lot of work there, including at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Globe Theatre and the Albany Theatre, close to her home.

She said she could not remember how the offers of work from the music industry started, but it came through reputation and word-of-mouth.

A woman in a purple dress on the right hand side of a TV screen doing sign language. A woman who is singing is the main focus of the picture. She is in the middle and dressed in a leather. She has long blonde hair and holding a microphone.
Ms Edwards shot to fame her performance at Eurovision and Glastonbury

Her interpretation of the music takes a lot of thought and she said: "The point of it is to convey the whole sense of the sound. How can I convey that with my body?"

That meant her performances were planned to match the feel of the music, but her style is her own.

"That's just me, that's just how I am," she explained.

She also said she used every moment she had to practice and often found herself "giving it large" while she was stuck in traffic.

Despite working with some big names, she said she often did not meet the stars themselves, but "absolutely had the best time".

There have been calls on social media for her represent the UK at Eurovision next year, which Ms Edwards said were "ridiculous".

She said her job was not about the fame and explained: "It's about deaf people watching the programme, getting the access and being able to enjoy it on a par with their hearing colleagues, friends and family."

Two women standing in a field at a festival. They are both smiling and wearing dresses. The woman on the left has glasses on and a blue, green and purple patterned dress. She has her arm around the woman next to her, her friend, who is wearing a pale denim dress and has a cross-body bag over her chest.
Rita Bagga (left) and Jayne Main (right) are both deaf and recently attended Godiva Festival

Rita Bagga and Jayne Main from Coventry are both deaf and have been friends since primary school.

Ms Bagga had never been to a festival, however with the help of Ms Edwards she recently attended the city's Godiva festival, where alongside her lifelong friend, she experienced her first taste of live music.

Ms Edwards signed while Heather Small sang her classic single "Proud" out to the crowd, Ms Bagga said the interpretation enabled her to connect with what was happening on the stage.

"It's just amazing," she signed, "I can see the music".

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing a pink and green jumper. She has both palms of her hands facing the camera and she is deaf so is using sign language to communicate.
Amy Mace said Ms Edwards' interpretations at Birmingham Pride earlier this year helped her feel "so included"

Amy Mace from Northampton said Ms Edward's had helped her to enjoy Birmingham Pride earlier this year.

"I was in floods of tears," she signed.

"Finally I had access and I understood the music, I understood the drag queens and their jokes.

Ms Mace added that she felt "so included" and equal to a hearing person.

A woman standing in an empty field at a festival. She is wearing a dark purple top and a cap. She is holding both of her arms up and using her fingers sign the "rock on" symbol, with her thumb, index finger and little finger up. There is a white big wheel in the background and the sky is blue.
Ms Edwards said she often found herself "giving it large" while she was sat in traffic

Julia, 16, a death metal fan from the city, has cochlear implants that help her hear some music, especially when it has a good beat, but she agrees that BSL interpreters were a good thing for the deaf community as a whole.

Ms Bagga added that without signing from Ms Edwards, music "doesn't mean anything" to her.

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