Though Drake and The Weeknd had nothing to do with their viral AI-generated song, it’s up for Grammy consideration.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Recording Academy CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., revealed that the controversial track “Heart on My Sleeve,” has been submitted for two Grammy categories, “Best Rap Song” and “Song of The Year.”
“It’s absolutely eligible because it was written by a human,” Mason Jr. explains. The song’s creator is enigmatic artificial intelligence user, Ghostwriter, who released “Heart on My Sleeve” in April. Despite the use of digitized vocal performances, the lyrics to “Heart on My Sleeve” were written by Ghostwriter. The song was an instant sensation, but was wiped from DSPs by Universal Music Group not for a digital imitation of the rap and r&b stars, but for the use of a Metro Boomin drop.
Mason went on to say that he sent Ghostwriter a direct message on social media and organized a roundtable discussion with the Recording Academy to understand the AI explosion. Ghostwriter attended, albeit disguising his voice with distortion and concealing his identity.
“I knew right away as soon as I heard that record that it was going to be something that we had to grapple with from an Academy standpoint, but also from a music community and industry standpoint,” Mason said. “When you start seeing A.I. involved in something so creative and so cool, relevant and of-the-moment, it immediately starts you thinking, ‘OK, where is this going? How is this going to affect creativity? What’s the business implication for monetization?’”
The song was pulled from streamers after racking up more than 600,000 plays on Spotify and 275,000 YouTube views. UMG also blasted “Heart on My Sleeve,” saying that its postings “demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists.”
Despite the song’s Grammy eligibility, a “Heart on My Sleeve” nomination in either category seems unlikely, as it contradicts the Recording Academy’s involvement with the Human Artistry Campaign, which says that “AI can never replace human expression and artistry.” The organization also highlights that the voices and likenesses of performers must be used with consent and fair market compensation. And it’s unclear whether Drake or The Weeknd actually received those considerations.
The controversy surrounding their production methods doesn’t seem to be getting to Ghostwriter, though. On Wednesday (September 6), the A.I.-bender released a new track, this time using the vocals of Travis Scott and 21 Savage for a song titled “Whiplash.”
“If you’re down to put it out, I will clearly label it as A.I., and I’ll direct royalties to you. Respect either way,” Ghostwriter said in a statement, per NYT.
