SoundLabs, founded by the renowned Grammy-nominated producer, composer, software developer, and electronic artist BT, will provide UMG's artists and producers with cutting-edge AI technology through its 'MicDrop' AI vocal plug-in.
The first product of this collaboration has been revealed: a Spanish rendition of Brenda Lee's classic holiday song, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," originally recorded 66 years ago.
"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" reached the top spot on the US Hot 100 for three weeks last year, more than 50 years after its initial recording and release in 1958 by the then 13-year-old artist.
The new version, titled Noche Buena y Navidad, was produced by Latin Grammy winner Auero Baqueiro. It retains the original music and background vocals while substituting Lee’s lead vocals with a newly translated Spanish vocal.
This track was released today (October 25) through MCA Nashville and UMe, the global catalog division of UMG.
The new vocal for Noche Buena y Navidad was generated using SoundLabs AI’s MicDrop audio plug-in, which enables users to transform their voice into another voice or instrument.
In collaboration with UMG, SoundLabs is developing official “ultra-high fidelity” vocal models for artists, utilizing their own voice data for training while ensuring they maintain full artistic approval and control over the final output.
UMG asserts that this release represents the inaugural instance of a music company utilizing "ethically trained AI" to produce a new language version of a classic track, emphasizing that it was "developed responsibly with the artist's participation and consent."
In recent years, Universal has established itself as a significant entity in the AI sector. Last October, UMG entered into a partnership with BandLab Technologies, which they characterized as "an expansive, industry-first strategic relationship focused on artificial intelligence." Additionally, in August of the previous year, UMG collaborated with YouTube to co-develop AI tools.
This month, UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge was recognized on Business Insider’s AI Power List 2024.
Brenda Lee expressed her excitement about the new Spanish rendition of "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," stating, “I am so blown away by this new Spanish version of ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,’ which was created with the help of AI,” said Brenda Lee.
“Throughout my career, I performed and recorded many songs in different languages, but I never recorded ‘Rockin’’ in Spanish, which I would have loved to do. To have this out now is pretty incredible and I’m happy to introduce the song to fans in a new way.”
UMe President & CEO, Bruce Resnikoff, stated: “We are thrilled to work with Brenda Lee to making ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ the first classic song translated responsibly into another language with the power of AI.
“We are also very excited about the possibilities of this emerging technology and look forward to harnessing its capabilities to introduce new material created by and approved by our artists.”
Cindy Mabe, Chair and CEO of UMG Nashville, remarked, “The minute you hear Brenda Lee’s iconic voice on Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree you know it’s the official start of Christmas.
“The global hit has touched people all over the world and kept this young 13-year-old spirit of Christmas captured in a time capsule. We are all so excited for this new Spanish version created with the help of AI from that legendary voice and approved by Brenda Lee herself to help celebrate this enduring, timeless classic.”
BT, the founder of SoundLabs, expressed his enthusiasm about the project, stating, “This project was a tremendously exciting showcase for MicDrop, our real-time voice-to-voice plugin.
“Training a model based on the 13-year-old Brenda Lee, using original masters, was both a rewarding challenge and a creative breakthrough. We’re thrilled with how this technology breathes new life into a beloved Christmas classic, blending innovation with tradition in a truly human way.”
UMG announced on Friday its endorsement of bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress aimed at safeguarding individuals' voice and visual likenesses from unauthorized reproductions created through generative AI and related technologies, including deepfakes and voice/image clones.
The proposed legislation, referred to as the “NO FAKES Act” (S. 4875 in the Senate and H.R. 9551 in the House of Representatives), has garnered support from various members of the creative community.
Recently, Brenda Lee, along with hundreds of artists, songwriters, and other creators, expressed their backing for the bill in an open letter released by the Human Artistry Campaign, a global organization advocating for Responsible AI.