New “The Hobos” song released with Ūdrītis’s voice recreated using AI

Latvian rock band “The Hobos” has released a previously unpublished song, “Rain is falling”, featuring the voice of lead singer Rolands Ūdris, known as Ūdrītis. His voice was recreated with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), because his health currently prevents him from singing at the microphone. The song was made with the support of the telecommunications company LMT, and the band presents it as a way of honouring its musical legacy.

How the song was made

Work on the song began many years ago, when composer Pēteris Upelnieks and lyricist Rolands Ūdris started creating it together. The Hobos later recorded the arrangement and the instrumental backing.

This time the main vocal part was sung by Ralfs Eilands. With Ūdrītis’s own consent to the use of his voice, LMT specialists used an AI solution to give Eilands’s vocals the timbre and sound of Ūdrītis’s voice.

Comment from the band

The band’s guitarist Egons Kronbergs says Ūdrītis has always had the leading role in the group: he wrote the songs, while the others mostly arranged them. Kronbergs notes that when listening to this song’s lyrics, thoughts immediately turn to the singer, so it was important for the band to finish what had been started and hear the song in his voice. According to the guitarist, playing music together again is wonderful, the band has resumed rehearsals and is preparing for concerts. He also expressed confidence that the new song has pleased Ūdrītis himself.

Video

A symbolic lyric video has also been made for the song. Its visual story is tied to the title: words written by Ūdrītis appear on a misted window pane with rain hitting it from the outside. In the video the window represents physical separation, while the written word and a fingerprint on the glass stand for the creative spirit refusing to give up even in seemingly impossible circumstances.