The Beatles’ AI-assisted song’s Grammy nomination could ‘push the limit’ on interest in the technology
“Now and Then” is nominated for chronicle of the yr and handiest rock performance on the 2025 Grammy Awards, making it the first nominated song ever to make spend of AI in its manufacturing.
The song utilized AI to spruce up broken-down demo recordings of John Lennon singing and playing piano, recorded in the slack 1970s, as successfully as a guitar song from George Harrison, recorded six years earlier than his loss of life in 2001.
“To me, it is miles a frigid example of how AI can feature in our fresh atmosphere,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a assertion to Fox News Digital.
2025 GRAMMY NOMINEES TAYLOR SWIFT, BEATLES GO HEAD-TO-HEAD FOR RECORD OF THE YEAR
The Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then,” featuring contributions from the slack John Lennon and George Harrison, changed into nominated for 2 Grammys. (Apple Corps Ltd)
Mason took danger to make clear that a brand new academy rule allowing AI-assisted tune to be submitted for Grammy consideration stipulates that the spend of AI must enhance in design of replace the work of humans. In this case, he said, AI changed into “in level of fact like an making improvements to instrument” that enabled the Beatles to isolate a John Lennon vocal recording from the slack ’70s “that changed into beforehand presumably unusable.”
“As soon as we predict about AI as a instrument for artists and no longer a replace for them, other folks are extra originate to AI becoming phase of artistic work,” Eric Burgess, CEO and co-founder of Credtent, an organization that helps creators shield their work from being former for AI with out permission, suggested Fox News Digital. “It’s just like the spend of Photoshop to spruce up a negate. We’ve been doing that maintain of nip-tuck work on artistic outputs for some time.
“To me, it is miles a frigid example of how AI can feature in our fresh atmosphere.”
— Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.
“There’s also a colossal design between the spend of generative AI for ideation and discovering artistic synergy with AI tools and slacking off and proper letting an AI correct attain your work. The latter is deeply unsatisfying for an artist, however what’s motivating the particular person creating the work is frequently the inform-chronicle signal of how a ways they lean into slacking.”
“Positioned as ‘the last Beatles song,’ other folks are certainly no longer handiest extra forgiving however in level of fact fervent to hear to basically the most new song of a band that launched its last song half of a century ago,” Andreas Welsch, founder and chief AI strategist at Intelligence Briefing, said.
Andreas Welsch, founder and chief AI strategist at Intelligence Briefing, said other folks are extra forgiving of the Beatles the spend of AI. (Getty Photography)
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
“Or no longer it is miles the cause for which AI has been former (to enhance and restore John Lennon’s bellow) while affirming the integrity of the band and sound, no longer to make spend of John Lennon’s bellow to enlighten the lyrics of a rap song.”
When the song changed into first announced in early 2023, followers were outraged by Paul McCartney’s mention of the spend of AI on a song, in particular with John Lennon’s bellow.
In June, he suggested BBC Radio 4’s “At the fresh time” they were in a design to make spend of identical expertise that Peter Jackson did in “The Beatles: Derive Inspire” docuseries, when the director and his team were in a design to “de-mix” the fashioned film’s soundtrack, conserving apart instruments, vocals and the person voices of the band participants, allowing for beforehand unheard conversations to reach again to light.
“And he changed into in a design to extricate John’s bellow from a ropey exiguous little bit of cassette where it had John’s bellow and a piano — he might per chance presumably presumably separate them with AI. They inform the machine, ‘That would also very successfully be a bellow, it is miles a guitar, lose the guitar.’ And he did that,” McCartney said.
Paul McCartney introduced about a trip amongst followers when he mentioned AI changed into being former to originate the Beatles’ final song. (Gotham/GC Photography via Getty Photography)
“So, after we came to kind what will be the last Beatles chronicle — it changed into a demo that John had — that we labored on and we correct done it up, this might per chance most likely presumably presumably also be launched this yr,” he added. “We were in a design to design close John’s bellow and salvage it pure by this AI. So, then we might per chance presumably presumably mix the chronicle as it is most likely you’ll presumably presumably presumably on the general attain. It presents you some maintain of leeway. So, there might per chance be a trusty aspect to it and then a daunting aspect, and we are able to correct want to realizing where that leads.”
The mention of AI introduced about a trip amongst followers who belief Lennon’s vocals had been faked.
McCartney later clarified his comments on social media.
“We have faith viewed some confusion and hypothesis about it,” he shared to X (formerly Twitter). “Can’t instruct too grand at this stage however to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings — a course of which has gone on for years.”
Ringo Starr backed up his bandmate, telling Rolling Stone they would “by no technique” false John Lennon’s bellow with AI. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Starr also spoke about the song, telling Rolling Stone the neighborhood would “by no technique” false Lennon’s bellow.
“AI opens up new chances to restore varied tracks — something that tune lovers will revel in,” Welsch said. “Equal to sampling, artists can spend AI to generate new samples or new songs with necessary AI influence.”
He added, “Because the expertise to generate total songs matures additional, songs might per chance presumably presumably moreover be hyperpersonalized in accordance with a listener’s individual preferences and kinds. This can allow new and beforehand unseen chances. On the other hand, like in the AI-generated song in the form of Drake/Weeknd in 2023, copyright laws wants to adapt to make clear rights and possession.”
In 2023, an anonymous producer who goes by the name Ghostwriter, launched an AI song, “Heart on My Sleeve,” which deepfaked the voices of Drake and The Weekend.
Drake and The Weeknd’s voices were deepfaked for the song “Heart on My Sleeve.” (Getty Photography)
“Heart on My Sleeve” changed into submitted in two classes for the Grammys — handiest rap song and song of the yr.
“I knew goal correct-making an are attempting away as soon as I heard that chronicle that it changed into going to be something that we had to grapple with from an Academy standpoint, however also from a tune neighborhood and alternate standpoint,” Mason suggested The New York Cases.
And while he praised the expertise and Ghostwriter’s efforts, he later clarified in a submit on social media that “this version of ‘Heart on My Sleeve’ the spend of the AI bellow modeling, that seems like Drake and The Weeknd, it’s no longer eligible for Grammy consideration.”
Ghostwriter suggested Billboard he changed into silent eligible for the classes he had submitted the song for, however a consultant for the Recording Academy suggested the outlet the song changed into eligible in songwriting-linked classes, however handiest by a resubmitted version of “Heart on My Sleeve” that removed the AI-generated bellow aspects. It not at as soon as earned no nominations for that yr’s ceremony.
The song that deepfaked Drake and The Weeknd’s voices changed into submitted for Grammy consideration after their AI voices were removed. (Neil Mockford/Alex Huckle; Mondadori Portfolio)
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Given the Beatles earned two nominations for “Now and Then” and its AI-enhanced audio, Burgess said, “For some artists, it’s going to help them to dive extra deeply into how they’ll spend AI tools to kind spacious tune … and they’re going to push the limit previous the tricks the Beatles’ studio techs came up with. This is essentially the inducement for folks making business tune, of course.”
“Musicians who originate tune for the enjoyment of composition and playing will most likely proceed to lead clear of the spend of AI or will handiest spend it after they fully must attain something that isn’t most likely with out AI,” he added. “For artistic musicians, they don’t must lose the enjoyment and ride of the artistic act correct to salvage to the artistic product faster.”
Welsch said, “Like varied artistic forms of art, there are considerations about the spend of AI in creating tune. Who holds the copyright, who infringes on it, and does the coaching and spend of AI topple below goal correct-making an are attempting spend of the fashioned work? On a human level, there are considerations about humans’ artistic expertise being taken over by AI and basically the most new region of strengths being outdated by machines.”
Upon the song’s birth last yr, McCartney and Starr shared how particular it changed into to have faith the band again collectively one last time.
WATCH: THE BEATLES COME TOGETHER
PAUL MCCARTNEY REVEALS HE ‘DREAMS’ ABOUT THE LATE JOHN LENNON: ‘THEY’RE ALWAYS GOOD’
In a assertion, McCartney said, “There it changed into, John’s bellow, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a right Beatles recording. In 2023, to silent be engaged on Beatles tune, and about to birth out a brand new song the general public haven’t heard, I deem it’s a thrilling thing.”
Starr said, “It changed into the closest we’ll ever reach to having him again in the room, so it changed into very emotional for all of us. It changed into like John changed into there, . It’s a ways out.”
In a assertion on X, the Beatles thanked the Recording Academy for the nominations.
The Beatles have faith a total of 23 Grammy nominations and seven wins however have faith by no technique received chronicle of the yr. (AP Photography)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In the heart of their occupation, the band has earned 23 nominations and seven wins. In 2014, they took dwelling the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Success Award.
They’ve been nominated for chronicle of the yr three times beforehand however have faith by no technique taken dwelling the award.
“As a colossal Beatles fan, I’m satisfied to hear anything new, however will the song in level of fact get? I don’t deem so,” Burgess said. “They’d quite award contemporary artists, like Beyonce making an are attempting on a cowboy hat this last yr.
“Nominating the Beatles is like nominating Meryl Streep for handiest actress on the Oscars. She’s continuously nominated due to she’s Meryl Streep, however she doesn’t customarily get. But it completely will get these alternate titans to the award display camouflage, goal correct-making an are attempting?”
