When you work far from home, a song in your own voice is a way to be at the birthday, the Christmas table or the Eid morning you'll miss. Record about a minute of yourself singing so Tera Studio can learn your voice, upload a song your family loves, and about 20 minutes later you have the whole song sung by you, with the original music and a song-card video to send. You don't need to sing well, and it works in any language: the words and melody come from the song.
Key takeaways
- Pick the song your family connects with you: the one from home, in their language.
- Record your voice once, in a quiet room (harder in shared housing; a parked car works).
- Send a short song-card clip if the family's connection or phone storage is limited.
- Mind the time difference so it arrives in the morning, not at 3 a.m.
- Hearing your first 2 songs is free; downloading to send needs a plan, from $8.99 for a month.
Why it means more from far away
Video calls are wonderful and also slightly sad: everyone waves, the connection drops, someone's camera freezes. A song is different. It arrives whole, it can be played again at the party when you're not on the call, and your mother will play it for every relative who visits. For many families with someone working overseas, that replayable piece of you is the gift.
The dates to plan around (2026–27)
| Occasion | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deepavali | November 8, 2026 | Public holiday in Singapore (observed Monday, November 9) |
| Christmas | December 25, 2026 | In the Philippines the season starts in September |
| Chinese New Year | February 6, 2027 | Singapore holidays February 6–8 |
| Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya Puasa) | Expected March 9 or 10, 2027 | Depends on the moon sighting; Singapore has gazetted March 10 |
| Mother's Day in the UAE and most Arab countries | March 21, 2027 | Always March 21 |
| Mother's Day in the Philippines, Singapore, India, the US and Canada | May 9, 2027 | Second Sunday in May |
| Eid al-Adha | Expected May 16 or 17, 2027 | Depends on the moon sighting |
Birthdays and anniversaries don't wait for holidays, and they're often the best moments of all.
Choose a song from home
The strongest choice is a song your family already loves, in their language:
- Tagalog or OPM for family in the Philippines. See videoke in your own voice for choosing OPM songs.
- Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil or Urdu for family in Kerala, North India, Tamil Nadu or Pakistan.
- Mandarin, Malay or Tamil for family in Singapore and Malaysia.
- Arabic songs or nasheeds for family across the Gulf and the Levant.
For Eid and Ramadan, many families prefer voice-only nasheeds to songs with instruments. Tera Studio works with a cappella recordings too: if the recording is one clear voice, it comes back as one clear voice, yours.
Whatever you pick, look for a recording with one lead singer (duets and choirs blur), a singer whose range is close to yours, and clear words. Use a recording you have permission to transform.
Record your voice in a shared room
Many people working abroad share a room or a flat, so a quiet minute takes some planning:
- A parked car is one of the quietest rooms most people have access to.
- Early morning or late evening, before roommates are up or after they're asleep, with the AC off for one minute.
- Under a blanket or in a closet full of clothes if you're desperate; soft things absorb echo.
- Hold the phone a hand's width from your mouth and sing at a normal volume for about 1 minute; 2 minutes is better. It doesn't have to be the song you'll send.
Make it, then send it well
Upload the song, choose the whole thing or the part that matters most (up to 5 minutes), and start. The first song takes about 20 minutes because your voice is learned first. If it doesn't sound like you, tap Needs work and remake it free from a longer recording.
When you send it:
- Short clip for slow connections. A full-quality WAV is large: a whole song can run to tens of megabytes. If your family uses mobile data or an older phone, send the 15, 30 or 60-second song-card video first, and the full song when they're on Wi-Fi.
- Time it. Dubai is 4 hours behind Manila and Singapore, and 1 hour 30 minutes behind India. A song sent at 6 a.m. in Dubai lands at 10 a.m. in Manila.
- Add a note on the song card: "Happy birthday, Nanay. I'll be home soon."
- Ask someone at home to play it at the party, on a speaker, while you're on the call.
Current price and limits
Every new account can make and hear 2 whole songs free, once per account, each up to 4 minutes, with no card. Downloads need a paid plan. Starter is $8.99 a month for 30 finished minutes (about 7 songs) and Creator is $19.99 a month for 90 minutes, or $89.99 and $189.99 paid yearly. Both include WAV and song-card video downloads, one guided correction per song and free re-downloads. Minutes refresh monthly without rollover. You can cancel the renewal anytime. Prices show in your currency where available; pricing and Stripe checkout confirm the total before you pay. See the refund policy.
Frequently asked questions
I can't sing at all. Will my family still recognize me? Yes, if your recording is clear. The notes come from the original singer; your minute of singing teaches Tera Studio what your voice sounds like. See can't sing? hear yourself sing any song.
Does it work for Malayalam, Tagalog or Arabic songs? Yes. Tera Studio doesn't translate anything; the words come from the original recording, so any language with a clear singer works.
Can my brother abroad and I both make one? Yes, each from your own account. A voice can only be trained by the person it belongs to.
How big is the file? A full-quality WAV of a whole song can run to tens of megabytes. The short song-card video clips are much smaller, which helps on slow connections.
Is my voice private? Yes. Your trained voice is locked to your account. Nobody else can use it or hear it. Read the privacy policy.
Make a song for your family. Your first 2 songs are free to make and hear.