I’ll Do It My Way-Jschlatt Against AI

During the past year, Artificial Intelligence has become a force to be reckoned with for artists. By being able to create a piece of art through a simple description or being able to use anyone’s voice for a song, AI is effectively robbing the public’s art and identity for its own benefit. 

Making music with AI is very scary if you think about it. The program will steal recordings of a person’s voice and mimic it in order to create a cover of a song. Most times, the voice will sound artificial, allowing any listener to discern reality from fiction. However, as the program develops, the difference is becoming more difficult to recognize. 

When I first heard a cover of “My Way” by famous Minecraft youtuber Jschaltt, I was shocked due to how well it fit with his voice. I was impressed that he would have the courage to make a cover of this famous Frank Sinatra song but believed that his voice fit perfectly. However, I then heard the telltale shudder of distortion that artificial songs and voices have, disappointing me immensely. I almost couldn’t tell that it wasn’t really Schaltt singing the song and that it was instead recordings of his voice altered by AI. 

Jschlatt. Photo via Millions of Celebs.

A few weeks later, I saw “My Way” by Jschlatt on my Tiktok for you page again. Before I could scroll past, I noticed that this cover was different. For one, it sounded better and clearer. However, most importantly, the comments were going crazy because he had truly “done it Schlatt’s way.” He had recorded and released his own official version of the notorious song as a response to having his voice stolen for numerous AI covers. 

Jschaltt had released “My Way” in December of 2023–just over a year ago. The overwhelming support eventually turned into viewers asking for him to release more songs. Nonetheless, no one expected him to actually do so…

On the first of December of 2024, Jschaltt released a YouTube video titled “I made a Christmas album.” He proceeded to reveal that, later that night, he would premiere his album titled “A Very 1999 Christmas.” The track list includes all of the classic Christmas songs, featuring “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow,” “Baby, it’s Cold Outside,” “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” On Spotify, the most listened to songs on the album include “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” and “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” which each have almost three million streams on the platform.  

A Very 1999 Christmas Album Cover. Photo via Jschlatt.

After some legal problems he had gone through with his first cover, Jschaltt knew that he would need to be more professional with how he recorded his album. Instead of using an instrumental off of YouTube like he had done with “My Way”, Schlatt realized he would need to buy the license to the melody of the songs he wanted to include in his album and then would have to hire an arranger to create new sheet music for these songs. He decided that he wanted to cover classic Christmas songs as he found modern Christmas singers, like Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé, to not match his preferred style. Since he had already covered a Frank Sinatra song in the past, he decided that he wanted to cover similar songs of the genre and era. Then, he hired musicians to record the instrumentals of his chosen Christmas songs. He had to endure the complicated process of buying licenses to the instrumental versions of the songs to use their melodies before hiring an arranger to put together a new composition. He hired composer Tom Scott, who is well known for his work with The Blues Brothers, to compose sheet music for each of the songs. He also had to hire musicians to play this music before adding his own vocal track. 

Jschlatt noted that the recording of his vocals was the most difficult part of the process. Despite the impressive vocals used in his cover of “My Way,” he found that he needed to have a wider range of vocal expression for this album. He hired a famous vocal coach to teach him exercises to work on his voice and allow him to hit all of the notes he needed for his songs. After months of preparations, he finally felt ready to officially record the album. The vocals for the album were recorded at the Sound Factory, which is actually located here in Los Angeles, despite the fact that Jschlatt lives in New York. The Sound Factory is a popular recording studio, as other artists such as Dolly Parton, Sza, and the Jackson 5 have recorded in that exact studio. He even went as far as to use the same microphone that Frank Sinatra used! He drank herbal teas and sang his heart out for a week in the studio while sound engineers tuned and mixed his voice to match the backing track. 

After months of hard work, Jschlatt released his first ever studio album, which spanned a total of 21 minutes and 53 seconds. He even released an exclusive vinyl that sold out almost immediately after its release. This album represents the lengths that humans are able to go to to fight against unfortunate circumstances. It shows perseverance and the ability of a person to not let their surroundings get the best of them. Although the holiday season has come to an end, we would beseech everyone to listen to this album and remember the message behind it.