How Musicians Use AI to Create Music

Technology is changing everything, including music. Artificial intelligence has become an absolute game-changer for many popular musicians, helping them create, produce, and share their music in new ways. Who wouldn't want to have a creative partner who can quickly come up with melodies, lyrics, and sounds? This is what many artists are experiencing now with AI.

From famous pop stars to innovative indie musicians, more artists are using AI to explore new musical ideas and styles. With AI tools, they can break through creative blocks, craft catchy hooks, and fine-tune their tracks like never before. AI technology allows musicians to experiment and push the limits of their creativity.

But this isn't just about technology; it’s a revolution in artistic expression. Artists are finding new ways to collaborate with machines, creating a fusion of human emotion and algorithmic precision that captivates listeners. As a result, we get a fresh wave of music that challenges conventions and redefines what it means to be a musician in the 21st century.

Grimes

Grimes is one of the very first artists that comes to mind when the conversation is about musicians embracing artificial intelligence. Her openness to AI technology and willingness to experiment with new models of music creation and ownership set her apart in the industry. 

While some artists threaten legal action for the use of their voice by AI technologies, Grimes stands ten toes down on AI voice cloning of her likeness. She launched Elf.tech, an AI platform that allows users to transform their vocals to sound like her, stating, "Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings." Grimes proposed a unique 50% revenue share for successful AI-generated tracks using her voice on her web3 project.

She has expressed a positive outlook on AI in music, stating, "I think it's cool to be fused [with] a machine and I like the idea of open-sourcing all art and killing copyright." Grimes has been experimenting with various AI technologies, including creating "a lullaby, meditation tracks, a Grimes chatbot similar to ChatGPT, and a wealth of sci-fi and anime-inspired visual art using platforms like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion."

Arca

Arca, a Venezuelan electronic musician and legendary avant-garde music producer, utilizes AI to create dynamic and ever-changing compositions. She views AI as a tool that can push the boundaries of music production and creativity. Arca believes that AI's ability to remix and reorganize music introduces new experiences and challenges traditional notions of human creativity. 

For Arca, AI is not just a tool but a collaborator that brings an element of unpredictability and innovation to her work. She has collaborated with Bronze, an AI music software, to produce pieces that never repeat themselves. For instance, her work titled "Echo (Danny the Street)" is an AI-generated soundtrack for the lobby of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. This piece continuously mutates, ensuring that visitors never hear the same music twice, which aligns with Arca's vision of creating non-static, generative music.

In another project, Arca released 100 different AI-generated versions of her track "Riquiquí" from her 2020 album "KiCk i." This project, titled "Riquiquí; Bronze Instances (1-100)," showcases her use of AI to explore new creative possibilities and expand the boundaries of traditional music production.

Björk

Björk views AI as a way to enhance creativity and introduce new dimensions to music. She embraces the unpredictability and dynamic nature of AI-generated compositions. Björk has integrated AI into her music through a collaboration with Microsoft to create a unique, continuously evolving soundscape titled "Kórsafn" (meaning "choir archive" in Icelandic). This AI-generated music adapts to real-time weather conditions and the position of the sun. The composition is played in the lobby of the Sister City hotel in New York City and uses sounds from Björk’s musical archives, including recordings of the Hamrahlid Choir from Iceland, which she has compiled over 17 years.

The AI system, developed by Microsoft, uses a live camera feed from the hotel's roof to monitor weather patterns, sunrises, sunsets, and even bird migrations. This data influences the music, creating an endless variety of arrangements that change with the environment. Björk describes this project as an "AI tango," expressing her curiosity and excitement about the results and the innovative use of her choir archives influenced by natural elements like clouds and barometric pressure. In other words, Björk used AI to listen to the sky and let everyone enjoy it.

David Guetta

Yes, not only experimental goddesses dabble in AI. David Guetta has actively engaged with AI in his music, too. Notably, he used AI to replicate Eminem's voice for a track during one of his live performances, which he referred to as "Emin-AI-em." This experiment was intended not for commercial release but to demonstrate the capabilities of AI in music production and to spark conversation about its potential and implications. 

Guetta thinks AI is a useful tool that can democratize music production, making it more accessible and enabling artists to create better records and demos. He believes that while AI can assist in the technical aspects of music creation, it cannot replicate an artist's unique taste and creativity. He emphasizes that the quality of music ultimately depends on the artist's vision and taste, not just the tools they use, saying, “If you have terrible taste, your music is still gonna be terrible, even with AI.”

Brian Eno

Brian Eno has used AI in his music production and has expressed positive views on its potential. He has incorporated AI to create generative music, which involves setting up systems that produce new and unique sounds each time they run. For example, Eno's project "The Ship" included an AI-generated visual experience that changes every time it is viewed.

Eno has also collaborated on AI-assisted projects like the soundtrack for a documentary at Sundance, which uses a generative AI engine to create a different version of the film each time it is shown. This approach aligns with his long-standing interest in using technology to push creative boundaries and explore new possibilities.

Eno views AI as a tool that can enhance creativity by generating unexpected results and new forms of art. He appreciates AI's ability to do things that weren’t originally intended, often leading to interesting and innovative outcomes. He is not afraid of AI itself but is cautious about the people who control it.

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney has used AI technology to help complete a final Beatles song. He employed AI to isolate John Lennon's voice from an old demo recording of "Now and Then," a song written in 1978. The AI successfully separated Lennon's voice from background noise and piano sounds, making it clearer for use in the new track.

McCartney was inspired by the AI techniques used in Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary "Get Back," where AI helped improve old recordings. He announced that the song is finished and will be released in 2023, marking an exciting moment in music history where AI played a crucial role in reviving a piece of work from one of the most iconic bands.

While these artists have incorporated AI significantly into their work, it's important to note that AI is typically used as a tool to enhance creativity or generate ideas, rather than as a complete replacement for human input.

The artistic process still heavily relies on human elements such as emotional interpretation and creative decision-making. Most artists blend AI-assisted techniques with traditional methods, maintaining a balance between technological innovation and personal artistic vision.

If you want to try AI-assisted music production, you can start with LALAL.AI—extract vocals and instrumental elements from various songs with the help of AI, then use the isolated stems to create mashups and unique mixes in your favorite DAW.

Follow LALAL.AI on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Reddit and YouTube for more information on all things audio, music and AI.