Leave it up to your favorite awkward black girl Issa Rae to answer your burning questions on Google Assistant. The Insecure show creator is lending her vocals to the application, The Root reports.
Rae’s welcoming voice will be available on any device that has Google Assistant including Google Home, mobile for iOS, Android, and Smart TV. According to Google, you can activate Rae’s voice on your device by saying, “Hey Google, talk like Issa.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHRHHQ7Z3aY
Rae is following John Legend’s footsteps in this endeavor. When the opportunity presented itself, she said it was an organic process. “I was in talks to do this last year and was just really intrigued, like, ‘What? They want my voice? Why?'” Rae told CNN. “Then, you know, I realized that I use Google Assistant frequently anyway and just thought about how cool it would be to do.”
The Los Angeles native said she spent countless hours in a recording studio, spewing a bunch of phrases and words in efforts to synchronize the recording. Rae said it was a challenge, being that she had to pronounce things she’s never said aloud before.
“I’m just so used to reading them. So you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve never actually had to say this word out loud,'” she said. “It was unique. I’d never done anything like that before.”
I’m the new voice of the Google Assistant! Uh, WHAT?! Say “Hey Google, #TalkLikeIssa” and I’ll answer your questions, tell jokes, and even give you compliments. Try me! #ad pic.twitter.com/BzRSCO97Nf
— Issa Rae (@IssaRae) October 10, 2019
While she might have been a bit frazzled by the experience, she said Google was very supportive of her partnership. “I mean, you’re just always scared,” she said. “But, no, I was very much assured by the Google team that this was all in fun and several conversations were had to make me feel comfortable doing it.”
Rae’s voice will available for a limited time in the United States.
