Paul McCartney
There’s “nothing artificial” in new Beatles song
Paul McCartney performing in Los Angeles.
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After AI debate: Paul McCartney clarifies that “nothing was created artificially or synthetically” with the new Beatles song.
Paul McCartney (81) wants to create clarity. The musician has now explained how artificial intelligence was used in a new Beatles project – and how not: “Nothing was created artificially or synthetically”.
A few days ago, McCartney announced that he had used AI technology on an unreleased Beatles tape from the 70s. On BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme he revealed that the AI was used to “extract” John Lennon’s (1940-1980) “pure” voice from a technically inferior recording.
“Nothing was created artificially”
Paul McCartney has now explained this process in more detail in a social media post, after a lot of discussion. “We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about this,” the musician wrote on Twitter. “Seems to be a lot of guesswork out there.”
He added: “I can’t say much at this point, but to be clear, nothing has been created artificially or synthetically. It’s all real and we all play on it. We’ve cleaned up some existing recordings – a process that’s been going on has been going on for years. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do,” he wrote.
Gift from Yoko Ono
McCartney has not revealed the title or lyrics of the song, which is set to be released later this year. However, according to media reports, experts assume that it is a Lennon composition from 1978 entitled “Now and Then”. The song was apparently included on a cassette labeled “For Paul” that Lennon recorded shortly before his death in 1980. Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono (90) later gave this recording to the remaining Beatles.
The Beatles last released new music in the mid-1990s. The singles “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” were released in 1995 and 1996. They were also based on private recordings by John Lennon.