(Paris) Artificial intelligence is used for another monument, after the Beatles: a project of biopic animated film by Édith Piaf will be developed using this technology, Warner Music and the artist’s rights holders announced on Tuesday.
The announcement of this “innovative and revolutionary technological project, using AI to recreate his voice and his image”, according to a press release, comes as 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the disappearance of the singer. No, I do not regret anything.
No release date is yet planned for this work called Edith. The project is currently “in the final phase of development” and is based on a few images produced for internal use, those close to Warner Music France told AFP.
This 90-minute film, “which will take place in Paris and New York between the 1920s and 1960s”, will be “narrated in the voice of Piaf and will reveal previously unknown aspects of his life”, specifies the press release.
For EdithAI technology “trained on hundreds of voice clips and images, some dating back more than 80 years, will bring Piaf’s distinct voice and image to life to enhance authenticity and “emotional impact of his story,” he adds.
“It was a special and touching experience to be able to hear Edith’s voice again. The technology gave us the impression of being in the room with her,” Catherine Glavas and Christie Laume, rights holders of the singer famous for La vie en rose Or my legionary.
“New audience”
This biopic promises to be a new turning point in the use of this process. Until recently, amateurs had taken advantage of it to release, without marketing them, pirated versions of more or less successful songs, without the agreement of the artists with the reproduced voice.
Frank Sinatra’s crooner tone, which disappeared in 1998, was thus found in a version of the success Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio and a fake Drake-The Weeknd duet caused a lot of noise.
But the release at the beginning of November of an official Beatles song, regenerated by AI with the agreement of the rights holders, reshuffled the cards.
Now and Then was born from a demo recorded at the end of the 1970s by John Lennon in his New York apartment. After his assassination in 1980, his widow Yoko Ono handed over the band, voice and piano, to the other members of the group in 1994.
AI recently made it possible to isolate Lennon’s voice and mix it with recordings of other musicians, including George Harrison, recorded before his death in 2001. The song was completed and endorsed by both living members, Paul McCartney, 81, and Ringo Starr, 83.
“Édith Piaf is one of the greatest French artists of all time, always being a source of pride for the French. It’s a very delicate balancing act when it comes to combining new technology with heritage artists,” describes Alain Veille, president of Warner Music France, in the press release.
The director hopes “through this film” to reach a “whole new audience and inspire a new generation of fans”.
The music of Edith Piaf is still alive: No, I do not regret anything And La vie en rose have accumulated more than 300 million streams between them on Spotify, the number one platform on the music market. streaming musical.