Can YuE2 make cover songs?

Yes. YuE2 can transcribe an existing recording into a melody score with SheetSage2, its companion transcription model, and perform it again in a new style. The developers call these zero-shot covers because the standard model makes them without any training specific to covers. In Song Creator Pro, you do this in the Remix tab with YuE2 selected.

Does a YuE2 cover use the original singer's voice?

No. A YuE2 cover is built from a score, lyrics and a text description of the style. The voice is generated to match your description. The original YuE, released in January 2025, had a mode that took a clip of an existing song as a reference; YuE2's documentation does not describe one.

Is a YuE2 cover a real cover or a new song in the style of the original?

A real cover, in the musical sense: the melody and lyrics come from the original song through the transcribed score, and only the performance and arrangement are new. In the developers' tests, a cover-detection system correctly named the original song on its first guess for 71.3% of covers made from the full score, compared with 0.3% when no score was used.

Do I need a license to release an AI cover of a copyrighted song?

In the US, yes. Releasing a recording of someone else's song requires a mechanical license, which Section 115 makes available once the song has been released. Many distributors arrange it for a fee. Videos need separate permission, known as a sync license. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can I change the lyrics or translate a song in a YuE2 cover?

Technically, yes: the transcribed lyrics are editable, and YuE2 sings whatever you put there. Legally, the compulsory license does not let you change a song's basic melody or fundamental character, so new lyrics, translations and parodies of a copyrighted song generally need the publisher's permission.

Can I upload a YuE2 cover to YouTube?

Yes, but the song's publisher may claim it through Content ID, YouTube's copyright matching system. Partner Program creators can share ad revenue from eligible cover videos once a publisher claims them. YouTube also lists AI-generated music among the content that needs an altered or synthetic content disclosure.

Can I make my cover sound like the original artist?

YuE2 doesn't offer voice cloning, and we don't recommend trying to imitate a real singer. Spotify only allows vocal impersonation when the artist has authorized it, YouTube lets music partners request removal of AI music that mimics an artist's voice, and Tennessee's ELVIS Act protects a person's voice the way it protects their likeness.

Do I own my AI cover?

Not the song. The composition still belongs to its writers, and under the compulsory license you cannot claim copyright in your arrangement either. What you can own is genuinely new material you are allowed to add, such as lyrics you wrote for a song that is yours or in the public domain.

YuE2 Covers: How to Make an AI Cover Song and the Licenses You Need to Release It

A YuE2 cover is a new performance of an existing song. YuE2 writes the song's melody and lyrics down as a score, then sings and plays it again in whatever style you describe. The tune and the words carry over; the original recording and the singer's voice don't. If the song is under copyright, you still need a license to release your cover.

This guide covers how it works, how to make one in Song Creator Pro, and the rights to check before you upload. For a click-by-click walkthrough of the Remix tab, see how to remix a song with YuE2.

How a YuE2 Cover Works

Transcribe. SheetSage2, the YuE2 team's transcription model, listens to the original and writes out its melody (optionally with chords) as a text score.
Add lyrics and a style. The words go in the lyrics field, split into the same sections as the score, and the style prompt describes the new sound.
Perform it again. YuE2 generates a complete new recording from the score.

Full score or melody only? Use the full score with chords for a faithful cover, and the melody alone when you want the style to change more. In the developers' tests, a cover-detection system recognized the original song in 71.3% of full-score covers and 67.3% of melody-only covers, against 0.3% with no score at all.

Make YuE2 covers on an 8 GB GPU. Song Creator Pro transcribes the melody and lyrics for you, with no Python or Linux setup.

Try it free on the Microsoft Store

What YuE2 Covers Can't Do

Sing in the original artist's voice. The voice is generated from your description ("warm female vocal"). The original YuE had a reference-audio mode; YuE2's documentation describes none.
Reuse the original recording. Every instrument is played again from scratch.
Fix transcription mistakes on its own. The official cover guide warns that "transcription errors can carry into the cover", so check the lyrics before you generate.
Sing beyond four languages. YuE2 sings English, Mandarin, Japanese and Korean. See YuE2's languages and styles for other languages.

Which Tool to Use

You want	Use in Song Creator Pro
The same song in a new genre, melody clearly recognizable	YuE2 in the Remix tab
The same melody with your own words or a translation	YuE2 in the Remix tab, after editing the lyrics
An instrumental version of a song with vocals	ACE-Step 1.5 in the Remix tab (guide)
Control over how closely the cover follows the original audio	ACE-Step 1.5 in the Remix tab, with Source Influence
The original singer's real vocal over a new backing	Extract the vocal, then Layer new instruments (this reuses the original recording, see voice cloning and sound-alikes)
A famous singer's voice	Not available, see voice cloning and sound-alikes

Making a YuE2 Cover in Song Creator Pro

Opening the Remix tab, loading Source Audio and clicking Analyze are covered in how to remix a song with YuE2. The decisions that matter for covers:

Pick a song you're allowed to use. Your own songs, songs you have permission to cover, and public domain songs are the easy cases. The developers' own demos use songs like Jingle Bells and Auld Lang Syne.
Choose a recording with a clear lead vocal. A clean mix gives the transcription its best chance, and the transcription decides what gets sung.
Check the transcribed lyrics. After Analyze they appear in the Lyrics panel. For a straight cover, correct misheard words and leave the rest. If you rewrite or translate, keep each line's syllable count close to the original, and read the rights section below first.
Describe the new sound, including the voice. Name the genre, instruments, mood and singer (gender, tone, delivery). Describe a sound, never a named artist:

acoustic folk, fingerpicked guitar, upright bass, soft brushed drums, intimate male vocal, warm and close

80s synthwave, analog pads, gated reverb drums, driving bassline, bright female vocal, nostalgic

Generate 2 to 4 takes and keep the best. Fix the seed when you want to compare two descriptions fairly.
Fix and finish. Revise regenerates one weak section (3 to 90 seconds), Extract splits the cover into vocals and instruments, and WAV or FLAC export is best for anything you release.

What You Need to Release a Cover

What you want to do	What you need (US)
Cover your own song	Nothing
Cover a public domain song	Nothing, if you work from a public domain version
Release an audio cover of a copyrighted song	A mechanical license, usually arranged by your distributor
Put the cover in a video, including on YouTube	A sync license from the publisher, or YouTube's cover policy
Change the melody, rewrite the lyrics or translate	The publisher's direct permission
Use the original singer's recorded vocal	Permission from the label and the publisher
Imitate a real singer's voice	The artist's authorization, and often not allowed at all

This is general information about US law, not legal advice. If real money is involved, talk to a music lawyer.

Your own songs and public domain songs

If you wrote the song, you don't need anyone's permission. In the US, compositions from 1930 and earlier are in the public domain. Songs from 1930, including "I Got Rhythm" and "Georgia on My Mind", joined on 1 January 2026, according to Duke Law's Center for the Study of the Public Domain. Two cautions: recordings follow a later schedule (only those from 1925 entered in 2026), and a modern arrangement of an old song can still be protected. Transcribe from a recording that sticks to the traditional version.

Audio covers: the mechanical license

US law lets you record and release your own version of a released song without asking the songwriter, under a compulsory license known as the mechanical license. According to the US Copyright Office's Circular 73, it:

applies only once the song has been released in the US with the owner's permission
allows the arrangement changes needed for your style, such as a new genre
does not let you "change the basic melody or fundamental character of the work"
covers the composition only, never someone else's recording

Most independent musicians let their distributor handle it. DistroKid, for example, charges $12 per cover song per year (checked on 16 October 2026). Check your distributor's AI rules too, since they are a separate policy.

For YuE2 this means: keep it a cover. The developers' demos include a Jingle Bells moved from major to minor and covers with fully rewritten lyrics. For a copyrighted song, changes like those go beyond the compulsory license and need the publisher's permission. Translations do too, and parody is only a possible fair-use defense after the fact, not a license.

Music videos and YouTube

The mechanical license covers audio only, so a cover in a video, even a still image on YouTube, needs a sync license from the publisher. Under YouTube's cover song policy, Partner Program creators can share ad revenue from eligible cover videos once the publisher claims them through Content ID, but that depends on the publisher.

YouTube also requires you to disclose realistic altered or synthetic content, and its examples include "AI generated music". For more, see can you monetize AI music on YouTube.

Voice Cloning and Sound-Alikes

YuE2 doesn't clone voices, and imitating a real singer is restricted almost everywhere:

Spotify: its policy from 25 September 2025 says "Vocal impersonation is only allowed in music on Spotify when the impersonated artist has authorized the usage."
YouTube: since 14 November 2023, music partners can request removal of AI music "that mimics an artist's unique singing or rapping voice".
Tennessee's ELVIS Act, in force since 1 July 2024, protects a person's voice, including AI imitations of it.
YuE2's own license prohibits "illegal, harmful, deceptive, or unethical use".

Describe the sound you want ("husky alto", "bright tenor with vibrato"), never a real person, and never title or promote a cover in a way that suggests the original artist sang it.

The Extract-then-Layer route keeps the original singer's real vocal, so it uses someone else's recording. The mechanical license never covers that, so you need permission from the label as well as the publisher. It's fine for private experiments, not for release.

What Song Creator Pro's License Covers

Song Creator Pro's commercial license covers your use of what the app generates. It can't give you rights to a song someone else wrote, and neither can any other AI music tool. What you can own is what you add yourself; see who owns AI-generated music.

Model details in this guide come from the official YuE repository, its cover guide, the YuE2 demo page and the YuE2 technical report, checked on 16 October 2026.