Country Music star Randy Travis has opened up about using AI for his new single, sparking mixed reactions from listeners.
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In his first new single in ten years, "Where That Came From," the 64-year-old singer, whose voice was largely lost to a 2013 stroke, unveiled the new ballad on Friday. Over the weekend, he appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, where they showed how his team used artificial intelligence to create this moving track.
Kyle Lehning, who has worked with Randy Travis for 40 years, combed through 42 classic tracks and combined the original vocals with new ones from James Dupre, Travis' vocal stand-in, using AI. Lehning told CBS that this blend, which also involved his longtime friend, significantly impacted the songs' creation.
Country Music Fans React to Randy Travis Employing AI in His New Single
Many Country Music listeners didn't see a problem with Randy Travis using AI to help create his new track.
"I cried my eyes out. I was against AI, but it was used for the greater good," one fan wrote on X.
Music journalist Clayton Edwards approved of the track before Travis confirmed the use of AI. "There's been a ton of speculation on whether or not Randy Travis' voice was AI-generated for the new song," Edwards wrote on X. "After hearing it in full, I honestly don't care if the whole damn band were robots. It's good."
One fan didn't see a distinction between AI and overproduced modern music. "For decades we've heard voice tune, synthesized music and reused music," they wrote. "Not much different imo. Very seldom do we hear people really sing and play instruments anyway," they pointed out.
Meanwhile, other denizens of X were cautious about the emerging technology.
Nashville-based songwriter Raleigh Keegan added, "It's both awesome and scary. It won't be long before AI is more widely used, which means I think there will be so much music produced daily that only music that is truly unique will stand out."
"Dang, I thought it was from a vault," a Randy Travis fan wrote upon learning of the AI assist. "I mean, it is definitely amazing and sounds like him but knowing it's AI makes it feel different."
"I was excited about it because I thought it was a song from his vault," another country music fan wrote. "I'm not that crazy about it after learning it was AI. It doesn't make it as special to me," they continued. "I think it is [a] slippery slope for people who can't verbally speak to release songs for them, even if they approve of it."
