Singer to release debut album after having to learn how to walk again

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Londoner Evie Sykes, who performs as Evie, has already had a top 10 single in the UK club charts with Habibi which has been viewed 1.5 million times on YouTube.

This weekend she launches her album, Evie, in defiance of all expectations. “I never thought I would be able to do this. It’s meant everything to me,” she said today.

The accident was caused by a drunken pedestrian in Poland where she was born. She had a series of painful operations and had to learn how to walk again. She hides the scarring on her legs with make-up and is still undergoing treatment for the injuries she suffered.

When her English father, George, subsequently brought his Polish wife, Maria, Evie, and her three siblings back to London, her troubles continued. She said she was bullied because of her injuries at school in Greenford.

“I said to my mum, ‘Can I just kill myself so you don’t have to be embarrassed?’ ” she admitted. But a teacher who heard her sing in assembly encouraged her to pursue music.

Her father, a builder who plays the flute, paid for piano lessons and singing tuition with Helena Shenel, who has worked with George Michael, Annie Lennox and Shirley Bassey.

After leaving school at 18, Evie carried on her music studies while developing a career as a fashion stylist at Topshop. “I wanted to reinvent myself because I was the ugly girl at school,” she said. Still living with her parents in Ealing, she said: “After me walking again, my music is the biggest achievement. The album is my baby. It’s something I overcame so much to do.”

She wants people to discover her story and “see that things can be done” — just as happened at the 2012 Paralympics which she said made her so proud.

“This album is about people being different but being proud of who they are, no matter where they’re coming from,” she said.