Aalst –
Has the American singer Miley Cyrus really dared to perform an Aalst carnival song? Of course not, but you might think so if you watch the video clip “Millennial Sammy”. It turns out to be a creation of Inti De Ceukelaire, an ethical hacker by profession and carnival fan after hours. He made it with ‘Zjust Ni’, a loose group of friends who participate in the parade every year.
In the clip you see Cyrus singing to the tune of the song Flowers, but the lyrics have been replaced by pure Aalst jokes about “Sammy”, the super speed camera that has already given many Aalst residents a fine.
De Ceukelaire has imitated the lip movements via AI: this is how the American singer appears to be singing the carnival song. De Ceukelaire did not try to imitate the voice. “The song was sung by voice actors,” he says. “I am already very happy with the result. The fact that you can imitate the facial expressions of someone who speaks a dialect with AI is impressive. It’s not perfect, but it shouldn’t be. That would go against the spirit of carnival.”
De Ceukelaire had first asked Miley Cyrus whether she wanted to contribute anything to the creation, but he did not receive an answer for the time being. “Maybe she will call back now to sue us. That would be the max.” (tlb)