Artificial intelligence has created a brand-new Nirvana song 27 years after the death of its frontman Kurt Cobain, who died by suicide on April 5, 1994.
Titled “Drowned in the Sun,” the new single was the result of hard work on the part of “Lost Tapes of the 27 Club,” a musical project that aims to create new music in the style of singers who passed away at the age of 27, including Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Amy Winehouse.
The project was started by “Over the Bridge,” a Toronto-based organization aiming to raise awareness about mental health.
The team made use of Google’s AI software, “Magenta,” which takes in the discography of the artist in consideration and spits out new hooks, vocal melodies, and rhythms that often bear a striking resemblance to the artistic style of the same.
Eric Hogan, the lead singer of the Nirvana tribute band Nevermind, was tapped for the vocals of the song, which, in his own words, “is accurate enough to give you that [Nirvana] vibe, but not so accurate to where someone’s going to get a cease-and-desist letter.”
“I can hear certain things in the arrangement of [‘Drowned in the Sun’] like, ‘OK, that’s kind of an In Utero vibe right here or a Nevermind vibe right here.’ . I really understood the AI of it,” he added.
In addition to putting out new music, the organization also shares mental health resources on its Facebook page and arranges support group meetings over Zoom for musicians, local/road crew and more.
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