Stella Artois, a brand of Anheuser-Busch Inbev, Leuven, Belgium, and award-winning artist John Legend debuted "Under the Stars," an exclusive holiday single written and performed by Legend, which launched in conjunction with the Stella Artois Give Beautifully holiday campaign, the company says. The duet pays homage to the brand's name, "Stella," which directly translates to "star" in Latin, it adds.
"I've always been fascinated by space exploration, so being able to pair that interest with my passion for music makes this collaboration with Stella Artois such a special one," Legend said in a statement. "The sound of stars is ethereal and has this dreamy vibe, which inspired 'Under the Stars,' a song about spreading love and togetherness during the holiday season. I couldn't think of a better way to gift my fans this year!"
Inspired by the raw emotional connections during the holidays, "Under the Stars" is written to convey the feelings people experience when they gaze at the night sky, the company notes. Consumers can stream the free song from Stella Artois exclusively at www.stellaartois.com.
"Stella Artois was originally crafted as a holiday gift to the city of Leuven, Belgium, and we want to pay tribute to our origin story and inspire the entire country to give beautifully this holiday season," said Ricardo Marques, vice president of Stella Artois, in a statement. "Our star-studded collaboration with John is our holiday gift to America, a piece of our storied legacy memorialized in the most beautiful way."
The science behind the song
Stars are known for illuminating the night sky, but stars also make sounds. According to the company, the frequencies by which a star's brightness changes can be translated into unique audible tones; from pulsing beats to ethereal vibes to atonal reverberations, each star has a unique sound. "Under the Stars" features the distinct sounds of four different stars in the universe in the song's intro, outro and chorus. Stella Artois sought the expertise of astrophysicist Zoltán Kolláth to translate and analyze these unique star sounds, it adds.
"Just as the keys on a piano work together to create a musical chord, each star's frequencies work together to create the individual sound fingerprint of the star," explained Kolláth in a statement. "It's a fascinating process that I've studied for many years and it's exciting to see this research be put to use in such a unique way."
John Legend Performs "Under the Stars" in New York City
Stella Artois also will give the gift of stars to the city that never sleeps – New York City. "Stars" by Stella Artois, an immersive and interactive light installation, will launch Dec. 9 with Legend performing "Under the Stars" during an exclusive concert under the lights of the art installation, the company says.
Additionally, through Dec. 2, two fans will have the chance to attend the star-filled launch night by retweeting the brand's "Under the Stars" Twitter post at www.Twitter.com/StellaArtois, it adds.
The exhibit will be open to the public from 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 1011 and from 2 to 9 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Skylight at Moynihan Station.
A Season of Giving Beautifully
These events are a part of the company’s Give Beautifully in which the company says it is filling the season with star-filled experiences, inspired gift ideas and one-of-a-kind celebrations. In addition to the gift of music and stars, the campaign will include the following:
• Curated giving: To inspire people to give beautifully, Stella Artois will provoke thoughtful gifting at gilt.com/stellaartois. Through a curated Stella Artois gift guide, consumers can choose from an assortment of designer items to give to their loved ones, including the brand's limited-edition Holiday Chalice.
•Artful giving: Stella Artois will mark its debut at the country's premier art show in Miami by giving fans the beautiful gift of art in partnership with Visionaire.
•The Gift of Stella Artois: Stella Artois will offer two gifting options for lager lovers this holiday season: the Stella Artois and Stella Artois Cidre Holiday Gift Packs. Each of the premium packaged gift boxes contains a special holiday bottle and the brand's limited-edition Holiday Chalice.
•Custom Chalices: Fans of the Stella Artois Chalice can give it a personalized holiday touch with the purchase a 12-pack of Stella Artois this season. Upon redeeming a unique code found on the packaging consumers receive a custom engraved Stella Artois Holiday Chalice.
