At the start of 2023, we looked forward to long-anticipated releases from some of our favorite artists. We envisioned up-beat tracks to pull us out of our gloomy winter slumber, glossy pop songs of the summer for those poolside hangs, and melancholic folk tunes to carry us into the season of the sticks. However, there’s one thing we certainly didn’t see coming: artificially created tracks achieving massive virality on social media.
Through AI technology, the internet has seen a firsthand sneak peek at the uncanniness of reimagined podcasts, hilarious celebrity deep-fake skits and musical performances from unlikely figures in pop culture, many of which indistinguishable from that of their real-life counterparts. Though entertaining, for many, the use of AI poses serious challenges for the future of musicians, who already fight an uphill battle to adapt to the industry’s constant flux.
Award winning music producer, Boi-1da, has decided to take matters into his own hands by harnessing these technological innovations to create meaningful bodies of music. “I feel that if we can get in front of AI technologies and use them responsibly, we can support the future of music while maintaining its integrity,” Boi-1da said. Considering the lengthy resume of songs Boi-1da has produced, from Kendrick Lamar to Rihanna, the producer proves to be the perfect guiding force within the exploration of this new music frontier.
Alongside BACARDÍ, Boi-1da has gathered five up-and-coming artists, from across the globe, to collaborate through the Music Liberates Music program. The goal of this program is to uplift and expose these unique artists to emerging technology within the music space, creating a more efficient and equitable environment for artists to create their masterpieces. Together, these artists will create The Concept A.I.bum. This record will investigate the power of AI, by developing a first-of-its-kind tool which will use the producer’s stems and music catalog for the five artists to build off of with new demos they’ve all had in the works. Once the building blocks are in place, Boi-1da will meet with each artist to finalize their track for the final EP.
“This technology wouldn’t function without me, and it’s so much just an extension of my own self, so I find that this AI tool is a new, more efficient way of doing work,” Boi-1da explains, “By working with AI at the beginning of the music creation process, we have the power to unlock near-limitless creative possibilities and provide opportunities to collaborate in ways we could never previously imagine.”
Among these artists are Bellah, Blackway, Floyd Fuji, Kyle Dion, and Savannah Ré, all musicians who have successfully showcased their versatility and adaptation within their creation of music. By taking part in this project, the artists will be fully trained on how to use this BACARDÍ-built AI tool, unlocking unlimited possibilities for collaboration and creative inspiration in the process. “I think any initiative that’s both looking towards the future and combining music and technology is somewhere I want to be,” Floyd Fuji, a featured artist on The Concept A.I.bum remarks.
If the long history of music has taught us one thing, it’s that humans will never stop building and that artists will never stop creating. We will constantly find ways to reinvent the wheel, improve production workflow and conquer whichever technological innovations are thrown our way. Since there is no feasible way to cease these changes, the only options musicians have are to embrace and utilize them as a productivity tool for meaningful artistic expression. This groundbreaking Concept A.I.bum by Boi-1da and BACARDÍ aims to do just that.
“AI will never be able to replicate a person’s unique human experiences and the deeply complicated, never linear, human rollercoaster of emotions,” Boi-1da says, “You’ll always feel the authenticity of a true artist, and a true artist will always find their voice, regardless of technology.”
