Montreal-based electronic musician CRi, whose real name is Christophe Dubé, had one of his songs, "Naissance," purchased by Apple for its worldwide advertising campaign promoting the Apple Watch Series 12. The transaction took place over about three weeks from initial contact to deal closure. Dubé, 36, views this as a career-defining moment that validates the value of human creativity in the face of AI advancements and highlights cross-border artistic collaboration between Canada and the United States.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Montreal electronic musician CRi, real name Christophe Dubé, had a "life-changing" opportunity when Apple purchased one of his songs, "Naissance," for its worldwide advertising campaign promoting the Apple Watch Series 12. The process was swift; about three weeks ago, CRi's publicist received a call from Apple requesting an isolated audio track of the song, and then a week later, the company offered to purchase it. Dubé described the deal as significant for artists, considering featuring music in a global Apple campaign is often seen as a major milestone in their career. The 36-year-old artist expressed disbelief at how his dream scenario turned into reality, emphasizing its importance beyond financial gain by highlighting the value of human creativity in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence.
Written for “CRi Apple Campaign” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 8195 · logged 2026-09-12
A Montreal electronic musician says he is still processing the biggest opportunity of his career after Apple purchased one of his songs for a worldwide advertising campaign promoting the Apple Watch Series 12.
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Apple → say → Series
The campaign, released this week, features “Naissance,” a track created by Quebec artist CRi, whose real name is Christophe Dubé.
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name → release → CRi
Dubé, 36, said the process moved quickly.
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process → say → ?
About three weeks ago, his publicist received a call from Apple requesting the isolated audio track.
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publicist → receive → track
Then, about a week ago, the company contacted him again with an offer to purchase the song.
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company → contact → song
The musician described the deal as “life-changing.”
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musician → describe → deal
For an artist, Dubé said, having music featured in a global Apple campaign represents a major milestone.
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music → say → milestone
“You know, for an artist, I would not say it’s a dream, but it’s most definitely a milestone,” he told Global News on Friday.
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he → know → Friday
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“When you start to make music, you think maybe one day I will play Coachella and maybe one day Apple will use my music for one of their worldwide campaigns.
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Apple → get → campaigns
It’s kind of part of the dream and I still can’t believe that it happened for me actually.
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it → ’ → me
It’s crazy.”
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It → ’ → ?
The track, whose title translates to “birth” in English, was originally created six years ago.
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title → translate → English
Beyond the financial impact, Dubé said the agreement reinforces his belief that major companies still recognize the value of human creativity at a time when artificial intelligence is transforming creative industries.
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intelligence → say → industries
He also sees the project as an example of the benefits of cross-border collaboration.
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He → see → collaboration
Dubé said the partnership demonstrates that strong working relationships between Canadian artists and American companies remain possible despite political and economic tensions.
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relationships → say → tensions
The campaign has already attracted millions of views on YouTube, providing what Dubé called invaluable exposure for his music.
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Dubé → attract → music
For the Montreal artist, the experience marks a career-defining moment and a chance to introduce his work to a global audience.
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experience → mark → audience
