Country music legend Randy Travis could barely speak or sing after suffering a severe stroke in 2013, but with the help of artificial intelligence, he's singing again.
On Friday, Travis released a new studio-recorded song, “Where That Came From.” The song was created using an AI version of his voice trained on past audio tracks. This is his first new song since a stroke left him with severe aphasia, a disorder caused by damage to the side of the brain that controls language.
“Eleven years ago, I never thought I would be able to make music, but thanks to the grace of God and the support of my family, friends, fellow artists, and fans, I have been able to make the music I love. I love you,” Travis shared in a Facebook post on Thursday, along with a teaser video for the song.
This song showcases the power of AI to enable creative expression for people living with disabilities. Last month, football hero Steve Gleason, who was paralyzed by ALS, exhibited a series of vivid paintings created by an AI trained on art he created before his diagnosis.
Travis' new songs have a smooth, easy-to-listen feel to them. “She had eyes like diamonds and she caught the light,” the Country Music Hall of Famer sings. “Oh, but they were darker and deeper than the night. But when she smiled, the sun appeared, and there was no longer where it came from.”
Artists have both enthusiasm for the creative possibilities of the tools and concerns that they could steal their work to train datasets or even change the nature of creativity itself. and responded to generative AI. However, Travis' fans treated the song with nothing but joy, admiration, and gratitude.
“Hearing his voice again is a miracle,” one person wrote in the comments section of the music video on YouTube. “What a beautiful song!” Another posted: “I don't care if it's AI or not, voice clone or whatever. This is Randy's voice in some way. I don't care how this was created. I can hear the real sound without it and I love it.”
Travis, who turns 66 on May 4, shot to fame in the 1980s with his best-selling debut album. storm of life. His first album went platinum, making him the first debut country artist to go multi-platinum.
Travis “became the de facto leader of a small group of traditional artists who dramatically changed the course of country music's evolution starting in 1986,” the Country Music Hall of Fame artist said. has been written. “Travis's understated, traditional voice and pointy-chinned sex appeal endeared him to both hard country acolytes and millions of fans beyond the country's core.”
Travis recorded “Where That Came From” with longtime collaborator, record producer Kyle Laning, and Warner Music Nashville.
“There's so much talk about all the negative aspects of AI,” said Chris Lacey, co-chairman and president of Warner Music Nashville. CBS News Sunday Morning. “We started with the concept of, 'What does AI mean to us?'” According to Lacey, the first thing that came to mind was, “Randy told his Travis It was about getting my voice back.”