“Training a model based on the 13-year-old Brenda Lee, using original masters, was both a challenge and a creative breakthrough”: BT on the new Spanish version of Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree that was made possible by his SoundLabs AI MicDrop plugin

Brenda Lee.

Whether or not AI will fundamentally change the way we make and listen to music remains to be seen, but its impact on legacy artists and material is starting to become clear. The potential to re-use and adapt existing artists’ voices is already being exploited, such as in a new, Spanish version of Brenda Lee’s iconic Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree: Noche Buena y Navidad.

Originally recorded in 1958 by a then 13-year-old Lee, the song is a festive staple, and can now be heard with a new Spanish language vocal that was created using “responsibly-trained AI technology”.