Brenda Lee’s iconic “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has been released in Spanish using Soundlabs AI’s MicDrop technology

Brenda Lee’s iconic holiday hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” first recorded 66 years ago, was released in Spanish for the first time today thanks to an innovative use of responsibly trained AI technology.

Last holiday season, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” was the No. 1 song in the US for three weeks and was at the top billboard Hot 100 charts more than half a century after it was recorded and released in 1958 by the then 13-year-old star.

“Noche Buena y Navidad” was refreshed under the production of acclaimed four-time Latin GRAMMY Award-winning producer Auero Baqueiro, retaining the original music and backing vocals while replacing Lee’s original lead vocals with a newly translated Spanish language vocal was created using a new AI singing model derived from her voice, which was fully approved by Lee.

The result is a new version of the well-known and cherished Christmas classic that sounds as if 13-year-old Brenda Lee were in the booth singing it for the first time.

The track’s new vocals were created using SoundLabs AI’s MicDrop, a cutting-edge AI audio plugin that allows a user to transform their voice into another voice or instrument. In collaboration with UMG, SoundLabs creates official ultra-high-fidelity vocal models for artists, using their own vocal data for training while giving them full artistic approval and control over the output.

Earlier this year, Universal Music Group (UMG) entered into a groundbreaking strategic partnership with SoundLabs, an innovative new AI technology company founded by GRAMMY-nominated producer, composer, software developer and electronic artist BT.

“Noche Buena y Navidad” is the first collaboration release with a UMG artist and represents the first time a music company has used ethically trained AI to release a new language version of a classic song, responsibly with the involvement and approval of the created by the artist.

“I’m so blown away by this new Spanish version of ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ created with the help of AI,” says Brenda Lee. “During my career I have performed and recorded many songs in different languages, but I never recorded ‘Rockin’ in Spanish, which I would have liked to have done. Releasing this now is pretty incredible and I’m excited to be able to introduce the song to fans in a new way.”

“We are thrilled to work with Brenda Lee to make ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ the first classic to be responsibly translated into another language using AI,” said Bruce Resnikoff, President and CEO of UMe. “We are also very excited about the possibilities of this new technology and look forward to leveraging its capabilities to introduce new material created by and approved by our artists.”

“The moment you hear Brenda Lee’s iconic voice on “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” you know it’s the official beginning of Christmas,” said Cindy Mabe, chairman and CEO of UMG Nashville. “The global hit touched people around the world and captured the Christmas spirit of this young 13-year-old in a time capsule. We are all so excited about this new Spanish version, created using the AI ​​of this legendary voice and approved by Brenda Lee herself, to celebrate this enduring, timeless classic.”

Last summer, UMe, UMG’s global catalog division, suggested to Lee the idea of ​​creating “Noche Buena y Navidad” for release for the holidays. Because the legendary Rock and Roll and Country Music Hall of Famer enjoyed singing her songs in a variety of languages ​​throughout her illustrious seven-decade career, including French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish, Lee tentatively approved the request. She agreed to release it after hearing it and marveling at how authentic it sounded.

The process was much more complicated than one might imagine, and a team of experienced music professionals from across the spectrum were involved in bringing the idea to fruition. Four-time Latin GRAMMY winner and songwriter Auero Baqueiro has been hired to produce “Noche Buena y Navidad.” His first step was to adapt the lyrics from English to Spanish, taking care to capture the essence of the original but also ensuring that the text, phonetics and rhyme structure felt natural to the Spanish language. Leyla Hoyle, a Chilean-born, LA-based Latin singer, was then brought in to sing the vocals in Spanish, mimicking Lee’s unique vocal patterns – matching the pitch, tonal breathing and phrasing of the original recording.

Next, Baqueiro delivered the Spanish vocal stem to SoundLabs, who were provided with hours of isolated vocal stems from Lee’s UMG archives to create a unique, custom AI vocal model based on her voice, including the original version of “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” “. which was taken when she was 13 years old. Hoyle’s Spanish vocals were then subjected to the “Brenda Lee” vocal AI model (using MicDrop technology), which altered the Spanish vocals to sound like Lee’s voice. Finally, Baqueiro mixed the AI-created Spanish vocals back into the original music bed.

The result is the new Spanish version “Noche Buena y Navidad”, which harnesses the creative capabilities of ethical AI and shows how AI can be used to expand the horizons of art creation while being respectful of artists and with their full potential Authorization to be used.

“This project was an extremely exciting showcase for MicDrop, our real-time voice-to-voice plugin,” says SoundLabs founder BT. “Training a model in the image of 13-year-old Brenda Lee using original artwork was both a rewarding challenge and a creative breakthrough. We’re excited about how this technology breathes new life into a beloved Christmas classic, combining innovation with tradition in a truly human way.”

SoundLabs’ goal is to provide artists with powerful new composition tools while supporting the proper management of their intellectual property. Founded with a fundamental respect for intellectual property rights, SoundLabs is focused on helping artists maintain creative control over their data and models.

UMG supports bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress to protect individuals’ voices and visual likenesses from unauthorized computer-generated replicas using generative AI and other technologies such as deepfakes and voice/image clones. The bill, known as the NO FAKES Act (S. 4875 in the Senate and H.R. 9551 in the U.S. House), receives overwhelming support from broad segments of the creative community. Recently, Brenda Lee joined hundreds of artists, songwriters and other creatives who supported the legislation in an open letter published by the Human Artistry Campaign, the global organization that supports Responsible AI. For more information, visit www.humanartistrycampaign.com/nofakesact

Brenda Lee signed with legendary label Decca Records before her 12th birthday and recorded groundbreaking hits such as “Sweet Nothin’s”, “All Alone Am I”, “Break It To Me Gently” and “I’m Sorry”. Although she found success in several genres, including rockabilly, pop and rock, Lee found her home in country music. Lee’s most popular hit, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” celebrated its 65th anniversary last year and continues to top the charts year after year. Not only has Lee sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, she has also shared stages throughout her career and earned the respect of the world’s most respected artists. The Beatles opened for them and the boys from Liverpool became friends with the Southern Belle from Atlanta, and Elvis Presley and Lee made their Grand Ole Opry debut that same night. Lee had nine consecutive top-10 finishes billboard Hot 100 hits from 1960 to 1962, setting a record for a female solo artist that would remain unparalleled until over two decades later. Lee produced country hits like “Sunday Sunrise” and “Big Four Poster Bed” and continued to have country hits into the ’80s, including “I Love Her So,” a duet with George Jones. Lee was the first woman inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame, and she is the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Their hit “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” was certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and reached 1 billion streams on Spotify. As of November 2023, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” was at the top billboard Sixty-five years after the song’s debut, it entered the Hot 100 chart for the first time ever, staying at the top for three weeks. By reaching number one, Lee broke several records, many of which were held by Mariah Carey and “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, which Lee beat at the top. It’s only Lee’s third holiday No. 1 all-time on the Hot 100. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is also Lee’s third No. 1. She now holds the record for the longest gap between an artist’s first and last week peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100, as her first No. 1 was her 1960 single “I’m Sorry.” Lee and “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” also now hold the record for the longest climb to the top of the Hot 100, as the Johnny Marks-penned hit was released 65 years ago, when Lee was just 13 years old. Now, at 79, Lee is also the oldest woman to ever reach the top of the Hot 100, surpassing previous record holders Cher (Believe, 52) and Carey (All I Want for Christmas is You”, 53 years old). ).