© Taylor Hill | WireImage
Fans of Brenda Lee’s iconic Christmas hit “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” are in for a festive surprise this year. Universal Music Group has unveiled an innovative new version of the song featuring AI-generated Spanish vocals.
Dubbed “Noche Buena y Navidad,” the track was produced by Latin star Auero Baqueiro. He utilized artificial intelligence technology from SoundLabs to translate the lyrics into Spanish while keeping the 1958 original’s music and backing vocals intact.
SoundLabs’ founder BT helped train their vocal AI system, called MicDrop, using archival recordings of Lee’s performance from when she was just 13 years old. The plugin then generated new Spanish lead vocals that sound convincingly like the legendary singer’s signature style.
It’s the latest collaboration between UMG and SoundLabs, who are both at the forefront of exploring music’s intersection with artificial intelligence. Their goal is empowering artists with new creative tools while maintaining control over how their art is utilized.
In Lee, they found a vocalist enthusiastic about introducing her yuletide standard to Spanish speakers around the world in an innovative way
