A TikToker who says he used artificial intelligence to write a viral song cloning Drake's voice acknowledged he could face a lawsuit as the track was removed from several social media and streaming sites.
A social media user who goes by the name Ghostwriter on TikTok created the song, "Heart on My Sleeve," which came out on Friday. It features a voice that sounds identical to that of Canadian musician Drake, rapping about a number of topics, including Selena Gomez. The song also features "vocals" from The Weeknd, Gomez's ex.
The creation of AI-generated songs using artists' voice likeness could be a violation of copyright law, suggested Universal Music Group, which publishes both artists through the label Republic Records. In a statement to Newsweek, UMG said the song "Heart on My Sleeve" was "infringing content created with generative AI."
UMG had previously sent a letter to several streaming sites, as first reported last week by the Financial Times. The company told the platforms to block and removed AI-generated songs from being downloaded, saying it would "not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists."
Featured is Drake pictured performing at the State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022. A social media user, @Ghostwriter977 (inset) says they created a Drake song using artificial intelligence which has gone viral online. Featured is Drake pictured performing at the State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022. A social media user, @Ghostwriter977 (inset) says they created a Drake song using artificial intelligence which has gone viral online. Prince Williams/WireImage / TikTok @Ghostwriter977The original post has been taken down on TikTok, but the clip of the song has already been featured in at least 2,880 videos on the site. Some are highlighting the song to their followers, while others are using "Heart on My Sleeve" as the soundtrack to their own TikTok clips. The song has been heard millions of times across its many iterations. Its existence online has led many fans to theorize about its origins, with some believing it's a legit AI-generated song, while others believe it's all a marketing ploy by Drake's label.
Social media has seen a rise in AI-created music recently, with one track featuring the likeness of Kanye West doing an apology rap for recent statements. The technology to create a rap using a famous voice has been around for many years now, allowing people to create music with the voices of non-musicians too.
As @Ghostwriter977's song was gaining traction on TikTok, one commenter called it "Lawsuit by Drake featuring The Weeknd." In a now deleted comment, it appeared the creator of the AI song was anticipating legal action.
"Go stream before the lawsuit," they wrote. By Tuesday morning, the original track was available to see on Spotify, but it appeared to be blocked, meaning users can't listen to it on the streaming site. It had already been removed from the likes of Apple Music, Deezer and Tidal, according to the BBC. It was also removed from YouTube.
The original video by @Ghostwriter977, which now appears to have been taken down but has been replicated across other accounts, sees a person wearing a bedsheet over their body, with sunglasses placed over the bedsheet.
The creator's TikTok features a link in their bio where people can request to have the song sent directly to their phone via text, Messenger or email.
The opening lyrics to "Heart on My Sleeve" referenced Gomez. "I came in with my ex, like Selena to flex, bumpin' Justin Bieber, but the fever ain't left."
Social media users shared their shock at the song's overall quality with comments like "bro it's better than Drake," "this is crazy" and "AI is going to take over the music industry."
Others anticipated the next move by Drake himself after he was seemingly impersonated without his permission. "Bro ain't ready for a lawsuit," one user wrote while another said, "Drake took the song down on Spotify it's so fire."
Adding their own theory to what is happening with the track, TikTok user @jarredjermaine shared a video suggesting it was all a ruse by Drake's record company.
Drake has previously teased that new music is coming from him. He released the song "Search and Rescue" earlier in April, but it's not currently attached to an announced album.
Newsweek has reached out to Drake and his team via email and social media for further comment.
Music label Universal Music Group told Newsweek that they won't shy away from new technology, like AI, but they are wary of using it correctly.
A spokesperson said: "UMG's success has been, in part, due to embracing new technology and putting it to work for our artists—as we have been doing with our own innovation around AI for some time already. With that said, however, the training of generative AI using our artists' music (which represents both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law) as well as the availability of infringing content created with generative AI on digital service providers, begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation."
They added, "These instances demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists. We're encouraged by the engagement of our platform partners on these issues—as they recognize they need to be part of the solution."
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Updated at 10:00 a.m. ET on 04/18/2023 to include the UMG spokesperson's comments.
