Legendary French Singer Edith Piaf’s Voice Recreated with AI to Narrate New Documentary

Edith Piaf’s life story is being told with help from none other than the “La Vie en rose” singer herself.

Although the French songstress died 60 years ago at 47, she will still be heavily involved with her official documentary thanks, in part, to “innovative and groundbreaking AI technology.”

On Tuesday, Warner Music announced that they “partnered with the estate of legendary French artist Edith Piaf” to recreate her voice and likeness for the upcoming animated biopic Edith.

“Warner Music Entertainment and production company, Seriously Happy, will develop the first animated biopic of an artist using AI and will tell Piaf’s incredible story of how she overcame struggles to become a symbol of female empowerment and one of France’s most iconic artists of all time,” the press release said.

According to the release, Warner Music has gone back as far as 80 years to gather hundreds of recordings of Piaf for the AI technology to study and recreate.

“Piaf’s distinct voice and image to be revived to further enhance the authenticity and emotional impact of her story,” the statement reads. The film will include original recordings if Piaf’s hits, including “La Vie en rose,” “Non, je ne regrette rien” and others.

The film will begin in the 1920s, covering Piaf’s life in Paris and New York until her death in 1963.

Piaf’s biopic is based on an original idea from Julie Veille and was written by Veille and Gilles Marliac.

“It’s been a special and touching experience to be able to hear Edith’s voice once again — the technology has made it feel like we were back in the room with her,” Catherine Glavas and Christie Laume, executors of Piaf’s estate, said in a statement.

The “La Foule” artist will narrate her 90-minute film, which promises to include previously unknown facts about her life, which was famously dramatized in the 2007 film La Vie en Rose. The movie earned Marion Cotillard an Oscar for her performance as Piaf.

Her spirit, personal achievements and incredible performances will be seen through a modern viewpoint while adding archival footage, stage and TV performances, personal footage, and TV interviews, the release adds.

Decades after Piaf’s passing, her music continues to be listened to around the world with nearly 300 million streams to date, according to Warner Music.

“Edith is one of France’s greatest ever artists and she is still a source of so much pride to the French people,” Warner Music France CEO Alain Veille said in a statement. “It is such a delicate balancing act when combining new technology with heritage artists, and it was imperative to us that we worked closely with Edith’s estate and handled this project with the utmost respect. Her story is one that deserves to be told, and through this film we’ll be able to connect with a whole new audience and inspire a new generation of fans.”

A release date for the film has not yet been announced.

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