Snoop Dogg, Timbaland in Western Union's digitized singing telegram

MANILA, Philippines - Western Union recently launched the Western Union Singing Telegram, a new interactive online platform that allows consumers to create a personalized music video and virtual duet with international recording artists, in collaboration with K’naan, Snoop Dogg, Sunidhi Chauhan and Timbaland.

The interactive online platform, www.wu-singingtelegram.com, enables consumers to emotionally connect with their loved ones when sending money and creates a digital singing telegram for music and tech lovers to perform virtually with a recording artist, and then send the video to friends and family via social networks. Consumers can create a singing telegram and select songs recorded by each performer.

These included mega-producer Timbaland performing This Lady and Drummer Boy, as the first holiday song of his career; Somali-born musician K’naan singing Happy Birthday and Leaving on a Jet Plane; Bollywood’s most famous contemporary singer Sunidhi Chauhan performing Call Me and Valentine as her first songs in English; and 13-time Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg performing Pretty Woman and Life of the Party.

Diane Scott, chief marketing officer and president, Western Union Ventures, said, “The Western Union Singing Telegram service creates a new way for consumers around the world to show their loved ones they care about them when sending the gift of cash this holiday season.”

“Our enthusiastic involvement in the Western Union Singing Telegram campaign, spearheaded by our partner Venus Brown and Stone Buddah Music, best exemplifies BMG’s desire to be at the cutting edge of new business opportunities working with leaders in their industry like Western Union,” said Richard Blackstone, chief creative officer, BMG North America.”

Western Union first introduced singing telegrams to the world on July 27, 1933. The first singing telegram was a birthday message sent from the Western Union office on 60 Hudson Street in New York City.