With some help from artificial intelligence, country music star , celebrated for his timeless hits like 香蕉视频直播淔orever and Ever, Amen香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淚 Told You So,香蕉视频直播� has his voice back.
In July 2013, Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy, a virus that attacks the heart, and . The Country Music Hall of Famer had to relearn how to walk, spell and read in . A limits his ability to speak 香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 why his wife Mary Travis assists him in interviews. It香蕉视频直播檚 also why he hasn香蕉视频直播檛 released new music in over a decade, until now.
which released Friday, is a rich acoustic ballad amplified by Travis香蕉视频直播� immediately recognizable, soulful vocal tone.
Cris Lacy, Warner Music Nashville co-president, approached Randy and Mary Travis and asked: 香蕉视频直播溝憬妒悠抵辈What if we could take Randy香蕉视频直播檚 voice and recreate it using AI?,香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 Mary Travis told The Associated Press over Zoom last week, Randy smiling in agreement right next to her. 香蕉视频直播淲ell, we were all over that, so we were so excited.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淎ll I ever wanted since the day of a stroke was to hear that voice again.香蕉视频直播�
Lacy tapped developers in London to create a proprietary AI model to begin the process. The result was two models: One with 12 vocal stems (or song samples), and another with 42 stems collected across Travis香蕉视频直播� career 香蕉视频直播� from 1985 to 2013, says Kyle Lehning, Travis香蕉视频直播� longtime producer. Lacy and Lehning chose to use 香蕉视频直播淲here That Came From,香蕉视频直播� a song written by Scotty Emerick and John Scott Sherrill that Lehning co-produced and held on to for years. He believed it could best articulate the humanity of Travis香蕉视频直播� idiosyncratic vocal style.
香蕉视频直播淚 never even thought about another song,香蕉视频直播� Lehning said.
Once he input the demo vocal (sung by James Dupree) into the AI models, 香蕉视频直播渋t took about five minutes to analyze,香蕉视频直播� says Lehning. 香蕉视频直播淚 really wish somebody had been here with a camera because I was the first person to hear it. And it was stunning, to me, how good it was sort of right off the bat. It香蕉视频直播檚 hard to put an equation around it, but it was probably 70, 75% what you hear now.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭here were certain aspects of it that were not authentic to Randy香蕉视频直播檚 performance,香蕉视频直播� he said, so he began to edit and build on the recording with engineer Casey Wood, who also worked closely with Travis over a few decades.
The pair cherrypicked from the two models, and made alterations to things like vibrato speed, or slowing and relaxing phrases. 香蕉视频直播淩andy is a laid-back singer,香蕉视频直播� Lehning says. 香蕉视频直播淩andy, in my opinion, had an old soul quality to his voice. That香蕉视频直播檚 one of the things that made him unique, but also, somehow familiar.香蕉视频直播�
His vocal performance on 香蕉视频直播淲hat That Came From香蕉视频直播� had to reflect that fact.
香蕉视频直播淲e were able to just improve on it,香蕉视频直播� Lehning says of the AI recording. 香蕉视频直播淚t was emotional, and it香蕉视频直播檚 still emotional.香蕉视频直播�
Mary Travis says the 香蕉视频直播渉uman element,香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播渢he people that are involved香蕉视频直播� in this project, separate it from more nefarious uses of AI in music.
香蕉视频直播淩andy, I remember watching him when he first heard the song after it was completed. It was beautiful because at first, he was surprised, and then he was very pensive, and he was listening and studying,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd then he put his head down and his eyes were a little watery. I think he went through every emotion there was, in those three minutes of just hearing his voice again.香蕉视频直播�
Lacy agrees. 香蕉视频直播淭he beauty of this is, you know, we香蕉视频直播檙e doing it with a voice that the world knows and has heard and has been comforted by,香蕉视频直播� she says.
香蕉视频直播淏ut I think, just on human terms, it香蕉视频直播檚 a very real need. And it香蕉视频直播檚 a big loss when you lose the voice of someone that you were connected to, and the ability to have it back is a beautiful gift.香蕉视频直播�
They also hope that this song will work to educate people on the good that AI can do 香蕉视频直播� not the fraudulent activities that so frequently make headlines. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e hoping that maybe we can set a standard,香蕉视频直播� Mary Travis says, where credit is given where credit is due 香蕉视频直播� and artists have control over their voice and work.
Last month, over 200 artists submitted by the Artist Rights Alliance non-profit, calling on tech companies, developers, platforms, digital music services and platforms to stop using AI 香蕉视频直播渢o infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.香蕉视频直播� Artists who co-signed included , Miranda Lambert, , , Peter Frampton, , Smokey Robinson and J Balvin.
So, now that 香蕉视频直播淲here That Came From香蕉视频直播� is here, will there be more original Randy Travis songs in the future?
香蕉视频直播淭here may be others,香蕉视频直播� says Mary Travis. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檒l see where this goes. This is such a foreign territory. There香蕉视频直播檚 likely more on the horizon.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淲e do have other tracks,香蕉视频直播� says Lacy, but Warner Music is being as selective. 香蕉视频直播淭his isn香蕉视频直播檛 a stunt, and it香蕉视频直播檚 not a parlor trick,香蕉视频直播� she added. 香蕉视频直播淚t was important to have a song worthy of him.香蕉视频直播�
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