Fake Drake controversy is just the start of what AI will bring to music
Global News
A year ago, few people were talking about artificial intelligence. Today, it seems it's all we can talk about, especially when it comes to music.
The most talked-about song of the month so far hasn’t been the Foo Fighters’ new single or anything from Taylor Swift but a track that featured the vocals of both Drake and The Weeknd while simultaneously featuring nothing from either artist.
If you’re confused, just wait.
Heart on My Sleeve was a creation of someone named Ghostwriter977 who used artificial intelligence to mimic the vocal styles of both performers. The result was a brand new song born out of software that really does sound like Drake and The Weeknd spent the weekend in a studio together.
Ghostwriter977 posted the track on all the streaming music services (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon, SoundCloud, Tidal, and Deezer) and saw it played and viewed hundreds of thousands of times. A TikTok post was streamed 15 million times. One Twitter post received 20 million clicks.
Universal Music, the home label of both Drake and The Weeknd, complained very loudly and Heart on My Sleeve was taken down. But because the internet is forever, you can find it with a quick Google search. Universal condemned the practice of using real songs by real artists to train AI to create new and different songs, calling this “both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law.” The label also took a shot at streaming music services, saying that they have “legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists.”
There is so much to unpack with this situation.
Drake and The Weeknd aren’t the only acts to find fake versions of themselves online. Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Ariana Grande, and Eminem are just three other artists who have been cloned using generative AI. Imagine being sent a link to a song where that’s you but not you. Would you feel violated and ripped off?
In the case of a Lady Gaga/Lana Del Rey creation, both singers gave their blessing and apparently love the results. It’s unclear if they’re being compensated.
DeSena was ordered to have no contact with the victim in his case.
'If I can't beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don't think I should be president,' Trump told reporters ahead of hosting the Kennedy Center Honors.
Neither Katy Perry nor Justin Trudeau has commented publicly on their relationship, though the Instagram post follows months of speculation.
The agreement follows a weeks-long bidding war where Netflix seized the lead with a nearly US$28-a-share offer that eclipsed Paramount Skydance's nearly US$24 bid.
Dr. Salvador Plasencia was the first to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with the 'Friends' actor's death at age 54 in 2023.
The video pairs Carpenter's song — featuring the line 'Have you ever tried this one?' — with the White House footage showing individuals being handcuffed, tackled and more.
The three new dates will close out her Small Rooms, Big Nerves tour, which begins in January and marks her first set of concerts in over a decade.
Three people are suing the actor in civil cases at London's High Court linked to his time as artistic director of the Old Vic theatre.