Pop star Daniel Bedingfield praises AI for capturing ‘soul’ of his music

Pop star Daniel Bedingfield has called on artists to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) when writing new songs because, he said, the technology can encapsulate the “soul” of his music.

The Gotta Get Thru This singer, who had several number one hits in the early 2000s, admitted AI will be “brutal” for many musicians but said it puts “unrestricted and unfettered creativity” in the hands of new artists.

The 44-year-old has announced his return to music with the release of a new album which he created with the help of artificial intelligence.

The brother of songwriter Natasha Bedingfield said: “I’ve spent the last few days making a new drum and bass (D&B) album using AI which is better than any D&B I’ve created in 20 years.

“I recorded my vocals and some music and put it into AI – it did the rest of it with so much of my soul because it’s based on the DNA of my songs.”

The New Zealand-British artist hit the charts in 2002 with his debut album Gotta Get Thru This, which sold four million copies worldwide, with the title track reaching number one in the UK.

Bedingfield, who spoke at the event AI, Music And The Human Spirit, organised by the University of Southampton and hosted at the Royal Society in London, said: “I think AI is going to be brutal for a lot of people.

“Artists like Stevie Wonder and Prince were two of the finest musicians who could play and produce their own music and finish songs by themselves in a day.

“But now AI puts this unrestricted and unfettered creativity into the hands of lots of young and upcoming artists.”

The Brit Award winner, who recently founded tech start-up Hooks to pioneer artificial intelligence music and video content, added: “It’s a superpower and anyone can create music in their bedrooms without needing hundreds of thousands of dollars or six months in a recording studio.

“It’s the most disruptive moment in music history; you can create songs – good songs – in 20 seconds.

“I think that it’s over for writers and producers unless they start working with AI as a tool.”