Selena Gomez has responded to an AI cover of The Weeknd’s ‘Starboy’ that features her synthesized vocals.
Alongside her acting career, the singer has been focusing on new music. The third season of the popular comedy series Only Murders In The Building debuted on streaming services last month, and the 31-year-old is also due to release her next album, currently titled ‘SG3’, in the coming months.
In June, a clip of Selena Gomez’s AI-generated rendition of ‘Starboy’ began to circulate. The pop star did not discover the cover until recently, when she candidly commented on an Instagram post by dubbing it “Scary.”
A photo of Gomez at this year’s Met Gala went viral despite the fact that she was not in attendance. The photo generated by artificial intelligence received 22.9 million views and 395,300 likes, making it one of the night’s most popular images.
The AI-generated music phenomenon continues to divide the music and entertainment industries. AI assisted in the recreation of a “lost” Oasis album, which Liam Gallagher endorsed, stating that he “sounds mega” on the record. However, Noel Gallagher criticized the album and its creators, stating, “These f***ing idiots clearly have too much time on their hands.”
Ed Sheeran has expressed his disapproval of the “weird” technology, stating that “if everything is done by robots, everyone will be unemployed.” Meanwhile, Gorillaz and Blur frontman Damon Albarn deems AI “ridiculous” and anyone with the leisure to create AI covers “a fucking idiot.”
In April, an AI-generated Drake and The Weeknd cover titled ‘Heart On My Sleeve’ gained popularity, with over 13 million listens on TikTok alone.
Universal Music has since removed the song from all music streaming platforms, citing their “fundamental legal and ethical responsibility” to prevent acts that “harm artists.”
Recently, Gomez released her comeback single ‘Single Soon’, denying rumors that it was about her relationship with The Weeknd.
‘Single Soon’ is her first solo release since releasing the Spanish-only EP ‘Revelacion’ in 2021. Also on the horizon is a collaboration with Fred Again…, which the English DJ-producer previewed during a set last weekend.