AI Has Been Used to Add John Lennon's Voice in a Final Beatles Song

Speaking on BBC's Radio 4, the songwriter said that AI technology was used to “extricate” the late John Lennon’s voice from a demo made before he died in 1980, and used to complete the recording. "We were able to take John's voice and get it pure through this AI.", shared Paul McCartney. The composition is likely to be called "Now And Then".

The song was originally found on a cassette labeled "For Paul" that McCartney was given by Yoko Ono in 1994. The tape included Lennon's love song "Now And Then." However, as the BBC reports, previous attempts to finish the song were abandoned because of the poor audio quality of Lennon's voice on the recording.

Now McCartney says he realized technology could offer a new chance to work on the music. The famous songwriter was inspired by Peter Jackson, the famously technically astute filmmaker, who resurrected archival materials for Get Back in the documentary about the band. 

This time the attempts to “extricate” Lennon’s voice proved to be successful. McCartney shared that all they had to do was “to tell the machine 'That's the voice, and this is a guitar. Lose the guitar.’".

Even if the process seems quite simple, it can't help but make you think about the future of the music industry. In the interview, Paul McCartney also confessed he's concerned with how AI might be used going forward, given its ability to perform trickery like replacing one singer's vocals with another person. "All of that is kind of scary," McCartney said, "but exciting — because it's the future."

While AI's quick development offers prospects for the music business, some composers are uneasy about its appeal. Nick Cave and Drake are two musicians who have criticised generative AI because it may produce songs in their voice or style. Other musicians have embraced the new technology, like Grimes. The performer stated in April that she would be open to sharing 50% of the revenues from any AI-generated song that effectively used her voice.

You can learn more by reading the full interview with Paul McCartney here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more