Drake and The Weeknd AI Song Went Viral—Now It Could Win a Grammy

A pseudonymous TikTok person sparked world controversy in April by releasing an AI-generated, fictional collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd that shortly went viral. Now they’re again with a brand new tune—and making an attempt to take the robot-crafted tracks all the way in which to the Grammys. 

The tune’s creator, Ghostwriter, lately submitted the hit, fabricated Drake/Weeknd single—”Coronary heart on My Sleeve”—for Grammy Awards consideration in two classes: Greatest Rap Track and Track of the Yr. The tune had been yanked from streaming platforms following authorized threats earlier this 12 months.

Since Ghostwriter wrote the lyrics to the tune, per The New York Instances, the artist is technically eligible for the music trade’s prime honor—although their tune employed synthetic intelligence to imitate the vocal types of Drake and The Weeknd with out these star singers’ respective consent.

Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy—the group behind the Grammys—beforehand informed Decrypt that he stands by the Academy’s latest resolution to permit songs created partly (however not largely or fully) with AI instruments to be eligible for awards. 

“[We] is not going to be giving an award to AI-generated materials, however we are going to permit materials that was contributed to by AI to be entered,” Mason mentioned in July. “It would not be truthful to discredit every bit of inventive work that was submitted if it had been touched by AI.”

Mason confirmed to The New York Instances that the pretend Drake/Weeknd tune is “completely eligible” for awards consideration, given the human origin of the lyrics.

Earlier this week, Ghostwriter printed a new AI-assisted observe, “Whiplash,” this one imagining a collaboration between the rappers Travis Scott and 21 Savage. This time, Ghostwriter left a notice together with their music, imploring Scott and 21 Savage to permit the observe to be launched broadly in return for any royalties the tune generated.

“It’s clear that individuals need this tune,” Ghostwriter wrote. “The way forward for music is right here. Artists now have the power to let their voice work for them with out lifting a finger.” 

Ghostwriter’s refusal to go away quietly within the face of the moral and authorized issues swirling round AI-generated music speaks to the pervading thought amongst some recording trade leaders that AI can’t be combatted—it should be tailored to. To those executives, the technological toothpaste is already out of the tube, so to talk.

“Not understanding precisely what [AI] goes to imply or do within the subsequent months and years offers me some pause and a few issues,” Grammys chief Mason beforehand informed Decrypt. “However I completely acknowledge that it will be part of the music trade and the creative neighborhood and society at giant.”

The entry interval for Grammys submissions ended final week. Recording Academy members will vote on nominees from October 11-20; nominees will then be introduced on November 10. The 66th Annual Grammy Awards are set to air dwell on February 4, 2024 from the Crypto.com Enviornment in Los Angeles.