Timbaland Talks Teaming With Babybel to Remix the Brand’s Classic Jingle [Exclusive]
Grammy Award-winning artist Timbaland is officially teaming up with Babybel Cheese for the brand’s first-ever music collaboration. The decorated producer and songwriter teamed up with Babybel to rework the brand’s original song, “I’m Your Baby.” Now, Timbaland has two new tracks — an EDM and a pop song — pressed onto collectible 3-inch micro-vinyl records that can be played on a matching mini turntable.
Timbaland spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet about the new collaboration with the iconic cheese brand. Here’s what he told us about his process for recreating the catchy jingle.
Timbaland talked about the ‘catchy, infectious’ tune of Babybel’s ‘I’m Your Baby’ for the brand’s Mini Wax Tracks
Timbaland and Babybel Cheese collaborated to remix the catchy tune “I’m Your Baby” into both a pop and EDM hit. Babybel introduced the tune as the musical heart of its The Fun Kind of Good campaign, using a memorable melody to underscore the joy and whimsy of snack time. Created in collaboration with up-and-coming artist Sam Quealy, the tune brings a light-hearted spirit to the brand’s animated ads and social content. And it reinforces Babybel’s message that snacking can be wholesome and joyful.
“They came to me; they had an idea,” Timbaland told Showbiz Cheat Sheet about how he and Babybel began their historic collaboration for the brand’s Mini Wax Tracks. “They played the original song — it was so catchy and infectious — and I was like, ‘I want to be a part of history.’ But sometimes, you got to see the future. You got to see beyond what today is. Because if you look at today, you’ll be like, ‘I don’t know,’ you know what I’m saying? But I’m not looking at today — I look at tomorrow.”
Timbaland added that the song’s hook “resonated” with him.
“And there was just something that resonated with me when it came to infectious things in the world, and music is an infectious thing when it comes to the hook — ‘I’m your baby, Babybel’ — that’s what songs are about, making you sing again, making you recalibrate life and having fun, and putting a smile on your face,” he continued. “That’s what music is about. And I felt like this song put a smile on my face. It made me cheese up.”
The Grammy-winning artist explained why he turned ‘I’m Your Baby’ into pop and EDM remixes
Timbaland told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that turning “I’m Your Baby” into pop and electronic dance remixes made sense because of the four-on-the-floor beat. “For me, those are cheat codes for me, because they allow me to be as free as I want to be,” he noted. “The EDM side was really just taking it and making it more hyper.” Timbaland added that it felt like a “no-brainer” to remix the song in these genres. “It was so easy.”
So, what’s the first step in remixing “I’m Your Baby”?
“Just listening to it and vibing to it,” Timbaland told us. “That’s really the first step. And once it hit my soul, it was easy to do.”
The artist explained how it wasn’t a “long” process to transform the song. “It was just like, ‘Do I feel it?'” he said. “Hell yeah. Let’s go.”
Timbaland noted that the first process in music creation is whether the artist themselves enjoys what they’re making. “Do you feel it as an individual?” he questioned. “Is it work for you, or is it fun? And it was always fun for me. It has to be fun. If it’s not fun, then it becomes a job.”
He explained how he doesn’t work with a lot of notes. Instead, he goes with how the music makes him feel. “Usually my feeling is very accurate on how I see a vision.”
Timbaland said he expects he’ll continue with brand collaborations in the future
“I’m Your Baby” isn’t just a Babybel brand song that will be left in the dust in the years to come. Timbaland told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that it was “easy” to remix the tune for mass appeal.
“It was already a groove,” the rapper noted, adding that he didn’t have any challenges when remixing the song. “They made this very simple. And the challenge is, how do you make something simple, infectious? And the hook was already there. This was an easy, no-brainer.”
Timbaland said he doesn’t know whether more producers and brands will team up to create remixes. However, he can see himself continuing down this path. “I expect me to do more of it,” he added. “… I want to be known if there’s a catchy jingle, or a catchy thing, Timbaland might have something to do with it, because he made those songs that either you love, or you hate, but you just can’t get enough of it. That’s what I hope to happen.”
“This is the first of more to come,” Timbaland said.
As for what makes an artist a great fit for a brand, Timbaland advised to “just go with the flow” and see what happens. And he appreciates when brands are willing to step outside of their boundaries and take “a leap of faith” to “rethink their brand.”
“Babybel going to Timbaland, the iconic producer, who I am, and mixing my sonics with their brand, I think that’s the first of its kind,” he continued. “And I think I want to see more of it.”
So, what’s next for Timbaland? “I’m just letting destination be destination,” he told us.
Starting on Wednesday, Jan. 21, fans can enter to win collectible, limited-edition 3-inch micro-vinyl records with a matching mini turntable at miniwaxtracks.com. Both remixes will be available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Meta, and TikTok music libraries on Friday, Jan. 23.
