Here's why Justin Long and Kate Bosworth sang 'Happy Birthday' — as chipmunks — to Lil Nas X
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Well, this is awkward.
Though Justin Long last voiced the titular rodent in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip in 2015, he hasn't entirely given up the character: It turns out the actor brought his portrayal back to wish Lil Nas X happy birthday earlier this year, but then never heard back from the musician.
On the latest episode of the Earwolf podcast Midnight Snack With Michelle Collins, Long shared a story about how Lil Nas X's team reached out to him to record the well wishes for Nas after he'd requested an Alvin & The Chipmunks-themed birthday performance from his team on Twitter.
I’ll see if I can help a ‘lil 😉🐿
— Justin Long (@justinlong) April 9, 2022
"I looked at the tweet and it said something like, 'I'll be really sad,'" Long recalled. "And so the reps were all scrambling to make it happen, you know? And [Lil Nas X's manager] called my agent, knew that I had done the voice of Alvin in the movies. And so she called me, she got my number, and I was really eager to help, you know? It's Lil Nas X."
Long also enlisted the help of his girlfriend Kate Bosworth to record the message and sing "Happy Birthday" with him: "I didn't know how to make my voice in a chipmunk voice, because they did that with computers in a studio obviously. And so I found an app that was like a chipmunk app [that] made your voice like that. So I sang with Kate, we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Lil Nas X as chipmunks, you know? And yeah I sent that thing… and I never heard back."
Gotham/GC Images Justin Long and Kate Bosworth
Long even responded to Nas' initial tweet with a wink and chipmunk emoji, writing, "I'll see if I can help a 'lil." But Long joked that he only got "Lil Crickets" in return. You can listen to Long's full podcast episode below.
Your move, Lil Nas X.
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