What do you get when you want a radio presenter and an AI expert to make a Christmas hit without any musical talent? Kees Dorresteijn (BNR Nieuwsradio) and Remy Gieling (ai.nl) have joined forces to create a new Christmas experience with the help of AI. The result: Christmas With You There, now available on Spotify and YouTube Music, with unanimous rave reviews from listeners and music critics alike.
Although the song was generated entirely with AI, human creativity played a critical role in the process. “Making the right prompts for the lyrics and melody was an art in itself,” says Remy Gieling. “We wanted a song that touches, that doesn't feel like a product of an algorithm, but like a real Christmas classic.”
The AI tool provided impressive layers of music and voice, but it was the human touch that really completed the song. Audio editor Gijs Frieseen brought it all together, perfected the sound and added live recorded guitar parts, a tambourine, and other instruments. “Gijs acted as an assistant to the algorithm, making the song really suitable for the radio,” says Dorresteijn.
Artist duo Silicon Waves
“For the collaboration, we wanted a name that lives up to both technology and music,” explains Kees Dorresteijn. “Silicon Waves feels perfect: a nod to Silicon Valley, where this AI technology originated, and to the audio waves that bring music to life. It's a combination of innovation and creativity — exactly what we wanted to show with this project.”
what Christmas With You There What makes it so special is that it only took a few hours of work — a glimpse of what music production could look like in the future. “This song shows what's possible when human ingenuity and AI work harmoniously together,” says Dorresteijn. “We are convinced that this is the future.”
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