Celebrating the release of her first-ever live album, Love or Lack Thereof, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter shares the importance of human-created art in Canada’s music landscape.
Alessia Cara has joined the chorus of artists raising flags about unauthorized AI likenesses.
Recently, the Canadian singer-songwriter revealed to The Canadian Press that she has come across an AI-generated song that bared a eerie resemblance to her.
“I didn’t think it sounded like me, but it’s so crazy because it will take some of your isms, like the way that you breathe or the way you pronounce something. It’s so crazy that it picks up on that — it kind of freaks me out,” she says in a new video interview.
She continues: “Having something be able to take your likeness and have you say things that you didn't say, it's a little scary and alarming.”
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While Cara didn’t share exact details about the song, a few months ago an AI-generated song was uploaded to YouTube, sparking confusion amongst fans: “People have been swearing its AI and I want to know the truth!!!” one user wrote on Reddit, with many responding that it was in fact made with AI, criticizing the lack of lyricism depth.
“I don’t love AI. I’m all for human creation. I feel like the best part of being a human being is our ability to feel and create and to make art and to convey emotion,” she continues. “While it can be great for a lot of sterile, factual things, I don’t think it should be making our art.”
Celebrating the liveliness of human-created art was the crux of Cara’s most recent album, Love or Lack Thereof, released on March 20. It’s the singer’s first live album, a jazz-soul re-imagination of some of the Grammy-winning artist’s past work released over the past decade of her career.
“It allowed me to practice freedom and letting things be what they are,” the self-proclaimed “perfectionist” explains of her latest release. “I think that's more beautiful. Imperfect stuff is actually where the humanness is.”
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Cara burst onto the Canadian music scene back in 2015, with her moody debut single “Here,” which peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. The momentum of the earnest track brought mass attention to the Brampton native, and her debut album, 2015’s Know-It-All, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart and spent 78 weeks on the ranking.
Three years later, she went on to win best new artist at the Grammys, which sparked some controversy. Many were citing that she wasn't a “new artist” — the age-old debate about the awards category. Cara penned an open letter on social media, where she discussed the importance of everyone having an equal chance in an industry where popularity and chart numbers reign supreme. “I’m not going to be upset about something I’ve wanted since I was a kid, not to mention have worked really hard for,” she wrote.
Now, Cara continues to speak out, joining the wave of Canadian artists reacting to the rise of AI in the music industry.
Back in February, a string of homegrown acts and organizations signed SOCAN’s national campaign, urging the Canadian government to eliminate copyright exceptions that permit free and unauthorized use of copyright-protected works for AI training.
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Some of the signatories include Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson, Elisapie, Mac DeMarco and Leith Ross. Record labels BMG Music Publishing and Nettwerk Music Group have added their support, too.
Last year, DeMarco shared his critical stance on AI, saying “the most important part of art is the human element,” when asked about the rise of artificial music tools. Meanwhile, Ross had a first-hand blunder with AI, after eight songs were uploaded to the Winnipeg singer’s Spotify page. In response, they bluntly wrote: “F–k AI and AI music,” on social media.
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“Music creators cannot compete in a system that devalues human expression while AI companies profit from the unlicensed use of their work,” Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN, told Billboard Canada. “The decisions made now will determine whether music creation remains a viable profession and a vital part of our cultural identity.”
