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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -Most people have a favorite holiday song\u2014or maybe one they can\u2019t stand. But chances are, you haven\u2019t written your own Christmas tune.<\/p>\n
One New Orleans man did. And to take it a step further, he got help from artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
We visited him in New Orleans East.<\/p>\n
Stepping into Victor Nguyen\u2019s home in the Eastover subdivision feels like entering a sound bath. From a jumbo-sized tuning fork to an extra-long ram\u2019s horn, Nguyen\u2019s space is filled with instruments. A content creator with musical talent, he began composing songs two years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started writing a Valentine\u2019s Day song, and then like an Easter song, and then a Thanksgiving song. I even wrote a Halloween song,\u201d said Victor Nguyen.<\/p>\n
The only thing missing was a Christmas song\u2014though his favorite is You\u2019re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Nguyen brought a different kind of energy to Listen to Our Bells<\/i>, a Christmas song he wrote and composed. During our visit, he played an acoustic version. Nguyen says he doesn\u2019t worry about critics. He wrote the song, he says, for his family and his faith.<\/p>\n
He posted the acoustic version on Instagram and YouTube, but hopes to release a fuller production to a broader audience. Since studio-quality production can be expensive, Nguyen turned to an artificial intelligence-powered music app.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives me like thousands of dollars\u2019 worth of production, to have multiple instruments, and layering, a lot of harmonies,\u201d said Nguyen.<\/p>\n
To the untrained ear, the AI version delivers the richness and complexity he was looking for.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy first song through AI, I was mind-blown. I couldn\u2019t believe how fast in the turnaround time and how it produced what I had envisioned my song could be. The prompt that I gave it, it was like, \u2018Create a festive holiday spirit song with bells, with a nice intro, with trumpets,\u2019\u201d said Nguyen.<\/p>\n
Nguyen\u2019s acoustic performance shows he doesn\u2019t lack musicality. But when he wants a bigger sound, he says AI brings a surprising touch. Still, he considers the result entirely his own.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pretty much created the foundation of the song through the melody, the lyrics and chord progression, and what AI did was put its own touch to it,\u201d said Nguyen.<\/p>\n
For now, the song remains acoustic. Nguyen is still working on the final version. Whether it features AI or live musicians is something we\u2019ll learn\u2014likely by next Christmas.<\/p>\n
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