After the controversy sparked by a song recreating the voices of Drake and The Weeknd via AI, Canadian musician Grimes released software inviting song creators to use her voice using artificial intelligence, for a fee. This Friday, July 28, she shares a new piece that says a lot about her vision of Music: I Wanna Be Software (« I want to be software“, in French).
Last April, a song called Heart on My Sleevewritten by a mysterious TikTok user, Ghostwriter977, accumulated millions of plays on networks and platforms before being removed under pressure from the record company, Universal. It was in fact a piece featuring two voices generated from artificial intelligence using the voices of rappers and singers Drake et The Weeknd. This fake song which evokes Selena Gomez, the ex-girlfriend of The Weeknd, posed a glaring problem with respect to intellectual property. And in the midst of the rise of ChatGPT and algorithms, this technically very successful imitation was frightening.
Software to recreate Grimes’ voice using artificial intelligence
A few days later, the Canadian singer-songwriter of experimental electronic pop Grimes35, took part in the debate by declaring on Twitter that he, for his part, authorized the use of artificial intelligence regarding his voice. As visionary as she is against the grain, she explained: “ I will share 50% of the revenue on any AI-generated song that uses my voice. The same way I would with any artist I collaborate with. Use my voice, without any limits. I have no record company, no legal ties holding me back. » On May 2, the singer put her promises into action by offering software to imitate her voice, called Elf.Tech. Available on the site of the same name, this software allows you to record a vocal track and then transform it so that it resembles the timbre of Grimes. The artist simply stipulates that creators of songs using this tool must pay him 50% of the royalties and avoid talking about Nazism or crimes in their lyrics. This Friday July 28, the talented singer, who also announced the upcoming release of a song entitled Music for Machines and who could give us a new album this year, released a track co-produced by Illangelo (a collaborator of The Weeknd) entitled I Wanna Be Software (« I want to be software“, in French). The formula seems to endorse Grimes’ vision: the artist wants to become one with software and merge human and machine.
Did Grimes settle scores with Elon Musk in song?
The talented singer, who also announced two new songs, Music for Machines et I Wanna Be Softwarewill be released soon, and who could release a new album this year, has become an expert in creating buzz. In December 2021, a few months after separating from her companion, Elon Musk, the artist released a song that caused a lot of talk. Titled Player of Gamesthe song seemed to directly allude to the billionaire and CEO of SpaceX known for his divisive speeches and widely criticized, notably by singer Courtney Love on Twitter, in 2021, for not paying enough charges. The businessman indeed seems to be pinned several times by the artist with the futuristic aesthetic in the lyrics of the title, Grimes singing: “I’m in love with the best player, but he will always love the game more than me” ; « Fly into the cold expanse of space / not even love could keep you where you belong”; “Why can’t you love me like that ? »
These multiple references to play and space were accompanied by a clip showing the singer embracing an armored knight while she held a sword behind her back. But we know thatElon Musk is passionate about video games and has his eyes constantly turned towards galactic conquest with SpaceX. The story between Claire Boucher (the real name of Grimes) and the megalomaniac boss at the head of Tesla ended in September 2021 and it does not seem to have been easy. During the separation of the couple who have two children, the professional obligations of the two protagonists were mentioned as explanations for their difficulties. Elon Musk then declared New York Post : « Mainly because my job at SpaceX and Tesla requires me to be mostly in Texas and overseas, and his job is in Los Angeles. » With the melancholic Player of GamesGrimes joins Adele, Juliette Armanet and Angèle who have all recently attempted to heal the wounds of breakups through music in their latest albums.
Did Grimes settle scores with Elon Musk in song?
This is not the first time that Grimes create a buzz with a song. In December 2021, a few months after separating from her companion, Elon Musk, the artist released a song that caused a lot of talk. Titled Player of Gamesthe song seemed to directly allude to the billionaire and CEO of SpaceX known for his divisive speeches and widely criticized, notably by singer Courtney Love on Twitter, in 2021, for not paying enough charges. The businessman indeed seems to be pinned several times by the artist with the futuristic aesthetic in the lyrics of the title, Grimes singing: “I’m in love with the best player, but he will always love the game more than me” ; « Fly into the cold expanse of space / not even love could keep you where you belong”; “Why can’t you love me like that ? »
These multiple references to play and space were accompanied by a clip showing the singer embracing an armored knight while she held a sword behind her back. But we know thatElon Musk is passionate about video games and has his eyes constantly turned towards galactic conquest with SpaceX. The story between Claire Boucher (the real name of Grimes) and the megalomaniac boss at the head of Tesla ended in September 2021 and it does not seem to have been easy. During the separation of the couple who have two children, the professional obligations of the two protagonists were mentioned as explanations for their difficulties. Elon Musk then declared New York Post : « Mainly because my job at SpaceX and Tesla requires me to be mostly in Texas and overseas, and his job is in Los Angeles. » With the melancholic Player of GamesGrimes joins Adele, Juliette Armanet and Angèle who have all recently attempted to heal the wounds of breakups through music in their latest albums.
I Wanna Be Software (2023) by Grimes, available.
