Amazon is giving Alexa a vocal shakeup, with the introduction of two new celebrity voices, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal, and movie star Melissa McCarthy.
Amazon has tried this before to great success; as they note, when they launched Samuel L. Jackson as a celebrity personality, it was the top selling digital purchase on Amazon.com the day it launched.
“That’s right folks, get ready for the vocal stylings of this nasal midwestern gal!” said Melissa McCarthy. “I am so excited to join the Alexa family. It’s been such a fun experience working on this project. I hope you all enjoy all my dad jokes! Fun fact—if you hear a slide whistle, it’s my personal one that I brought with me to the recording studio!”
As you may have guessed, just say “Hey Melissa” or “Hey Shaq” to “get the latest weather report in their voice, hear a joke, or hear a personal story.”
You can even say, “Hey Shaq, rap for me,” or “Hey Melissa, tell me a story” if you are that way inclined.
“Customers have had a lot of fun with the Samuel L. Jackson experience on Alexa, and when customers love something, we look for ways to give them more of it,” said Toni Reid, VP of Alexa Experience & Echo Devices.
“We’re thrilled to add two new celebrity personalities to Alexa and had a great time working with Shaquille O’Neal and Melissa McCarthy on this project. We can’t wait to see what customers think.”