A new project from the company behind K-pop superstars BTS and New Jeans is using AI technology to sing in six different languages. MIDNATT, also known as the alter ego of 39-year-old singer Lee Hyun, debuted today with the single “Masquerade”. The song was originally recorded in Korean and translated into English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese with the help of AI audio. High-tech company Supertone.
The press release states that “MIDNATT sang this track in six different languages, and native speaker pronunciation data was applied to the track to further refine the artist’s pronunciation and intonation.” Supertones were also used to create multiple artificial voices within the song, including female voices, using Lee’s voice. “Masquerade” was produced by DJ Hitchhiker, who has produced hits for artists under HYBE’s competitor SM Entertainment, including EXO and Red Velvet.
Will AI-generated music be the future of K-POP? HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk thinks so.
The experiment, internally dubbed “Project L,” was mentioned by HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk in an April interview with Billboard (HYBE acquired Supertone earlier this year). The press release states that the MIDNATT project was “launched with the aim of providing music fans around the world with a music experience that transcends the physical limits of K-pop.”
The music video for “Masquerade” can also be “watched” in six languages, but the video is exactly the same in all languages. Only the voice changes. As such, we don’t see her MIDNATT speaking the lyrics in the video. I’ve embedded the video below so you can experience it for yourself. To change the language, click the settings button (white cogwheel) in the bottom right corner of the video player, select “Audio Track” from the menu and select the language.
