YoLean

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  YoLean

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  Dance Sequence 1

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  Dance Sequence 2

Inspiration

“YoLean” was born from a moment in my preteen years, when I first discovered Dolly Parton and found myself in my own version of a Jolene situation. Except in my case, Jolene actually took the man—and I was devastated. I wrote a song about it in the early 2000s, which sat untouched in my journal for years. Later, when Beyoncé released her own bold take on Jolene, it awakened something in me. By then I was an adult, facing a similar Jolene situation. Still, it wasn’t the version of Jolene I needed to hear. I wanted a version that thanked Jolene for taking a man who was manipulative, gaslighting, and emotionally destructive—a song that said, “You think you’ve won, but you’ll remember this: thank you. I’m no longer wasting my time on someone unworthy. Remember me walking away freely.”

“YoLean” became the story my younger self needed, and the one I now want to share with anyone looking for that same spark of strength and encouragement.

What it does

“YoLean” reimagines the classic Jolene narrative by flipping the script: instead of begging someone not to take her man, the narrator thanks the other woman for freeing her from a toxic relationship. It’s an empowerment anthem shaped through songwriting, music production, and AI-enhanced video storytelling.

How we built it

For songwriting:

I uploaded my original early-2000s lyrics—what I lovingly call my “preteen 2000s garbage”—into Gemini to help refine and reshape them into a stronger narrative.

For music production:

• I used ElevenLabs to create the reggaeton drop.
• Suno provided the full musical arrangement and the vocals.

For video production:

• I combined invideo AI, Hailuo AI, Seedance, and WAN 2.2 to bring the visual story to life.

I missed the deadline for free credits for the competition and penny pinching, I pieced the video together using whatever remaining credits I had across various platforms.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was missing the free-credit cutoff, which forced me to juggle multiple video tools based on whatever limited credits I had left. Producing the project without any paid subscriptions meant constant adapting, troubleshooting, and creatively stretching every available resource.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I’m most proud that I was able to craft and share a story my younger self would have needed—and one that may uplift others going through similar experiences. Despite limited resources, I created something meaningful, empowering, and true to my journey.

What we learned

Anyone can turn their dreams into a reality. Don't let the fear of not being "classically trained" in whatever it is stop you. A little elbow grease and creativity goes a long way in this new world order.

What's next for YoLean

Getting my idols Dolly Parton and Beyonce to give me a shoutout would be incredible. I'd love to thank them for inspiring me. I'd love to thank everyone who clicked, viewed, subscribed, and encouraged me to keep going even though I have NEVER done anything remotely like this

Built With

• canva
• elevenlabs
• filmpro
• gemini
• hailuo
• hailuo-ai**
• invideo
• invideo-ai**
• seedance
• seedance**
• suno
• wan