It’s been a long week. Hell, it’s been a long few months.
Lots of great things are happening professionally. I feel like I’m hitting my stride with several personal projects. And planning WordCamp Canada has been a masterclass in patience, dedication, collaboration, and learning when to just let go and trust others.
But tonight, I needed a break from all that. I wanted to do something different.
A New Toy: Suno
I hadn’t yet tried Suno, the AI music generator I’ve heard so much about. So I finally signed up for a month, mostly because I thought it would be fun to use with my daughter who’s been writing songs with her friend for over a year now. I can already picture us turning their lyrics into real songs and putting together an album for them soon.
I have such fond memories of making music as a kid, playing in bands, recording demos straight into my old boombox, trying to get that “studio” sound out of a single built-in mic.
Ah, those were the days.
Enter Wapuu
After an hour of making songs with my kids, I sat down and thought of a recent video by Chris Reynolds, one where he and Wapuu get ready to head out to WordCamp Canada. So much for taking a break from WordPress.
Naturally, I couldn’t resist. I decided to use Suno to generate a base set of lyrics for a song about Wapuu coming to Canada, and then spun off a series of remixes in different genres.
This turned into a fun little evening project, especially since music has always been a big part of my life. I’ve played guitar on and off since I was seven or eight, been in several bands through high school, jammed with friends on and off over the last 25 years, and these days I enjoy playing bass with a regular group whenever I can.
The Songs of Wapuu’s Big Adventure
Below are all the tracks from this spontaneous experiment. Lyrics are posted below all the songs.
Note: Suno doesn’t like when you use a band name in the prompt, it just won’t generate the music.
1. Grunge
A straight-up homage to the Seattle scene. I asked Suno for something that sounded like the early ’90s, think Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden. I think it turned out pretty good! You can practically smell the flannel.
2. Duet
For this one, I didn’t specify much, just “pop” and “duet male and female.” I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turned out to be super catchy, like a Saturday morning cartoon theme song. All it’s missing is a bowl of Honeycombs.
3. Techno
Honestly, I’m not even sure this qualifies as “techno,” but the first few seconds instantly put me in Dance Mode. Parents of young kids know exactly what I mean. I just picked themes like percussion, simple sequencer, and techno. Not usually my style, but somehow this ended up being my favourite of the bunch.
Total banger.
4. Melodic
Somewhere along the way, I lost track of what genres even mean. I asked for melodic hip-hop, and honestly, I’m still not sure what that is. Not my usual thing, but it actually turned out great and feels perfectly current.
5. Stoner Rock
Now this one’s close to my heart, heavy, fuzzy, dirty distortion. I wanted something in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age, one of my all-time favourites. The music didn’t turn out quite like I hoped, and the vocals didn’t quite fit in my opinion. Still, I’ll be trying this genre again for sure.
6. Heavy
This is where I feel most at home. I told Suno: “Make it heavy… then make it heavier.” Mission accomplished. The double bass pedal kicks things off perfectly, and the tuned-down guitars hit exactly the tone I was hoping for.
7. Country
Full disclosure: this is one of my least favourite genres. Maybe it’s childhood road trip trauma, the same half-dozen country cassettes on loop for five days straight while driving from Labrador through the Maritimes to Newfoundland. That said, I gave it a fair shot… and, well, it’s still country.
The Lyrics
These were 100% generated by AI, I did not modify them, just asked for a song about Wapuu coming to WordCamp Canada.
[Verse]
Wapuu grabs his bag and his favorite hat
His underoos snug yeah they’re where it’s at
He’s got his map and a little snack
Canada’s calling no turning back
[Chorus]
Oh Wapuu’s on the go
To WordCamp don’t you know
Three days of fun
Three days of cheer
The best time of the year
[Verse 2]
He’ll write some code
He’ll meet some pals
Talk plugins and themes over coffee with gals
A friendly crowd in a northern land
High-fives and hugs go hand in hand
[Bridge]
The train goes click
The wheels go clack
Adventure’s ahead
No need to look back
Mountains
Rivers
A sky so blue
Every moment’s fresh
Every step feels new
[Chorus]
Oh Wapuu’s on the go
To WordCamp don’t you know
Three days of fun
Three days of cheer
The best time of the year
[Outro]
So here’s to Wapuu
A journey begun
With laughter
Learning
And a whole lot of fun
Canada’s waiting
Let’s give a cheer
For WordCamp memories made right here
Final Thoughts
This was just an evening of creative play, no agenda, no goal, just curiosity. AI tools like Suno can’t replace musicianship or human creativity, but they can spark new ideas and remind us why we love making things in the first place.
So there it is: Wapuu’s Big Adventure.
The soundtrack to a WordPress mascot’s cross-country journey, and to a developer who just needed to unwind for a night.
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