Shaan slams use of AI for cloning veteran singers’ voices for new songs, covers

Bollywood singer Shaan slammed the recent trend in which artificial intelligence generates songs as if a different singer performed them. It is often referred to as AI Voice Cloning.
Using AI tools, users can create remixes and covers of existing songs, placing different artists’ voices onto familiar tracks and transforming the original song with new rhythms, melodies, and harmonies.
While speaking to ANI, Shaan criticised the AI song voice swap trend in which the late singers are reimaged using AI tools for the cover of new songs, calling it a “cruel” and a wrong practice of remembering the late singers.
“I find this AI very cruel when they try to produce songs like ‘Yeh gaana agar Kishore da gaate, yeh gaana agar Mohammed Rafi gaate (If this song was sung by. What they sang in the 40s, what they sang in the 60s, and what they sang in the 80s were very different. So if they were singing today, it would again be very different,” said Shaan.
The ‘Chand Sifarish’ singer further said that it is wrong to artificially produce the voice of a dynamic singer with the help of technology.
“It is wrong that you make that song sound like they would sing it like that. Not necessary. You can’t AI a person whose singing has been so dynamic. So it’s wrong that you take the tone of any four songs and make tons of tracks and covers with that,” said Shaan.
He also calls the audience “silly” for comparing the AI’s voice to the real singers. Shaan calls it unfair when the new generation uses AI to produce the ‘Saiyaara’ song in the voice of singer Kishore Kumar.
He urged music lovers not to listen to such AI tracks, but rather to enjoy Kishore Kumar’s songs, which were sung by him during his time.
“The audience is so silly, they’re even comparing it with them. I’m just saying they shouldn’t do this AI. But the new generation has heard Kishore Kumar’s voice in ‘Saiyaara’ or some other thing. That is not fair, man. They should hear his songs that he has sung in his time, which came out of his throat, came out of his sensibilities. Yes. Do not listen to this,” said Shaan.
Meanwhile, Shaan will take the stage at The Grand Theatre, NMACC, Mumbai, to honour the music of the legendary Kishore Kumar on September 19. (IANS)