AI Generates New Version of Brenda Lee’s Christmas Song

A Spanish Version of the Classic Hit

Universal Music Group has released a new Spanish version of Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.’ The classic American Christmas pop tune, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is celebrating its 66th anniversary this year. As the festive season approaches, this song, sung by Brenda Lee, gets played in just about every store, from the smallest to the biggest chains. It’s also been covered many times over the years, including by Cindy Lauper in 1988, Kacey Musgraves in 2019, and Justin Bieber in 2020. But, until now, no artist had ventured to sing the song in any language other than English. However, this year, thanks to AI, there’s a new version out on airwaves.

The Making of “Noche Buena y Navidad”

Entitled “Noche Buena y Navidad,” the song is performed by Brenda Lee. But, contrary to what you might think, the septuagenarian didn’t go into the studio to record this adaptation of her hit song. Lee’s voice was simply cloned using MicDrop, an artificial intelligence tool developed by the start-up SoundLabs. This voice clone was created from several hours of Brenda Lee’s recordings. At the same time, Chilean singer Leyla Hoyle was invited to record her own Spanish-language version of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” This sound recording served as the basis for “Noche Buena y Navidad” and enabled MicDrop to create a digital double of Brenda Lee that sounds right in the Spanish language.

Voice Deepfakes: Danger or Opportunity?

The end result is even more surprising given that Brenda Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958. The artificial intelligence was able to recreate her voice at the time, which was not without its difficulties. “Training a model based on the 13-year-old Brenda Lee … was both a rewarding challenge and a creative breakthrough,” said SoundLabs founder BT in a statement.

Universal Music Group’s Partnership with SoundLabs

The release of “Noche Buena y Navidad” marks a turning point for Universal Music Group. The track is the culmination of an agreement the group signed with SoundLabs in June to enable the major’s artists to harness the creative potential of artificial intelligence. But the growing use of AI in music creation remains controversial, shadowed by issues of mistrust. The music giants are particularly concerned about the proliferation of musical deepfakes online, without the authorization or remuneration of rights holders.

Conclusion

The release of “Noche Buena y Navidad” is a significant step forward in the use of AI in music creation. While some may be skeptical of the technology, the end result is a unique and captivating version of a classic Christmas song. As the music industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how AI is used to create new music in the future.

FAQs

* What is MicDrop?
MicDrop is an artificial intelligence tool developed by SoundLabs that can clone a person’s voice using their recorded songs.
* What is SoundLabs?
SoundLabs is a start-up that develops AI-powered music creation tools.
* What is “Noche Buena y Navidad”?
“Noche Buena y Navidad” is a Spanish-language version of Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” created using AI.
* What is the purpose of Universal Music Group’s partnership with SoundLabs?
The partnership aims to enable Universal Music Group’s artists to harness the creative potential of AI in music creation.