Latest news with #TearsforFears
Hamilton Spectator
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Is it art, or is it stealing work? Album cover designers stare down an AI future
TORONTO - Finger Eleven guitarist James Black has picked up a new instrument, one that pushes the boundaries of his visual imagination — generative artificial intelligence technology. The Toronto musician and graphic artist admits it's a controversial choice, but over the past year, he's been using the tool to help design his band's new album covers. Each one showcases grand concepts, stunning imagery and ultimately a piece of art that demands attention in an era where all musicians are jostling to stand out. 'We're in the blockbuster age where people like to see big, big things,' Black says from his office. 'Whenever I have an idea, it's usually something beyond what we have the resources to do, and AI means you don't have to put a lid on those ideas.' His work usually starts with typing a few descriptive words into AI software and collecting the images it spits back out. Then, he uses photo editing to fine-tune his favourites so they fit his original vision. Sometimes, he submits those altered images back into the AI to generate more ideas. 'There's quite a bit of back-and-forth where you're applying your own skill and then putting it back in,' he said. 'It's a little bit like arguing with a robot. You have to nuance it into doing what you want.' One of his first experiments was the cover artwork for Finger Eleven's 2024 single 'Adrenaline.' The illustration shows a curvaceous woman in a skin-tight red-and-white-racing suit, her head concealed under a motorcycle helmet. She's standing in the middle of a racetrack with her back to the viewer. A cloudy blue sky imparts an otherworldly calm. Anyone who's seen recent AI artwork will probably recognize the hyperrealistic sheen of its esthetic. Other familiar AI trademarks are there too, including a landscape firmly rooted in a dream world. Generative image models are trained on billions of photographs to learn patterns, such as recurring shapes and styles. They then use that information to construct images that can often seem familiar. Many fear that the tools also draw from copyrighted pieces without permission from their creators. It's a legal quagmire that only skirts the surface of the ethical debate around generative AI models. Beyond the copyright risks, critics fear the technology will cost album cover designers and photographers their jobs. But AI programs such as NightCafe, CoPilot and Adobe Firefly offer cutting-edge possibilities that many artists say they can't ignore. Still, Black said he understands there are ethical concerns. 'I'm definitely torn myself,' he said. 'But I'm using it because it extends as far as my imagination can go.' Other musicians have found that generative AI answers the demands of a streaming industry that pressures them to churn out new music, eye-catching lyric videos and other visual elements regularly. But some fan bases aren't sympathetic to those reasons. Last year, Tears for Fears was slammed on social media after they revealed the cover of their live album 'Songs for a Nervous Planet,' which had several familiar AI image traits. The illustration shows an astronaut staring straight at the viewer, their face concealed under a space helmet. They're standing in the middle of a field of sunflowers that stretches into the distance. A cloudy blue sky imparts otherworldly calm. The cover's creator, Vitalie Burcovschi, described it as 'art created by AI using human imagination.' But fans were quick to accuse the band of using AI that might have scraped copyrighted work. As blowback intensified, the English duo released a statement calling it 'a mixed media digital collage, with AI being just one of the many tools used.' Pop singer Kesha encountered similar flak for the cover of her 2024 single 'Delusional,' which featured a pile of Hermés Birkin bags with the song's name spray-painted across them. Fans instantly recognized common flaws of an AI-created image: misspellings in the song's title, sloppy digital fragments. Some demanded she redo the artwork with paid photographers. It took months, but the singer replaced the image with a photograph of herself tied to a chair. She assured fans it was created with an 'incredible team of humans.' 'AI is a Pandora's box that we as a society have collectively opened, and I think it's important that we keep human ramifications in mind as we learn how to use it as a tool and not as a replacement,' she said in an Instagram post in May. Illustrator and musician Keenan Gregory of the band Forester says he used AI technology to extend the background of an old photograph so it could fit on the cover of the band's upcoming EP. The original image for 'Young Guns' was taken in the 1940s as a vertical photograph and showed bass player Dylan Brulotte's grandfather strolling through the streets of Edmonton. Gregory needed a square shape for the album cover, so he put the shot into Photoshop's generative AI tool, which artificially extended the frame's left and right edges with more detail. He removed certain background elements, like storefront signs, with a blend of traditional photo editing techniques. 'Typically, an artist would have to do that manually,' he said. 'But having AI provide you with options, which you then edit, is very powerful.' Gregory said he considers AI one of a photo editor's many tools, adding he didn't use it to make the cover for Royal Tusk's 'Altruistic,' which earlier this year won him a Juno Award for best album artwork. Even when musicians are transparent about using AI, some fans are not ready to embrace it, as British Columbia rock band Unleash the Archers learned last year. Vocalist Brittney Slayes said their concept album 'Phantoma' told the story of an AI gaining sentience and escaping into the real world in the body of an android. To explore the album's theme, Slayes said some of her songwriting drew inspiration from ChatGPT suggestions, while they used visual AI programs to create inspiration images for songs. She said the band also filmed a music video for 'Green & Glass' and then fed the finished product into an AI model trained on artwork by Bo Bradshaw — the illustrator for the band's merchandise. It spat out an AI-animated version of the video. 'We paid to license all of his artwork ... so he was compensated and he was credited,' she said. But the reaction was swift. Some listeners accused the band of theft, alleging that despite paying for Bradshaw's work, the AI tool likely used other unlicensed art to fill out the visuals. 'We didn't realize that even though our model was trained after one artist, the program was going to fill in the blanks with others,' Slayes said. 'People didn't care. The second the word 'AI' was used, we were targeted. You know, the usual Twitter uproar, being like scraped across the internet as these terrible people that use AI in their music.' Unleash the Archers responded on their socials, issuing a statement acknowledging they had unintentionally implied their video featured original artwork by Bradshaw when it was actually produced through an AI program without his direct involvement. Their statement recognized how fraught the risks are for bands eager to explore new technology, saying that 'while we were expecting some controversy, we weren't expecting as much as we got.' Slayes said the backlash has forever sullied her connection to the album, which she originally intended as an exploration of an inevitable AI future. Instead, to her, it's become a reminder of how fast-developing AI technology is provoking deep-rooted anxieties. 'People are still afraid of it,' she said. 'And for good reason, because it is taking jobs.' For other artists, she urges them to think carefully about how they introduce AI into their own projects: 'If you're going to use AI for your artwork, you've got to have a really good reason.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Is it art, or is it stealing work? Album cover designers stare down an AI future
TORONTO – Finger Eleven guitarist James Black has picked up a new instrument, one that pushes the boundaries of his visual imagination — generative artificial intelligence technology. The Toronto musician and graphic artist admits it's a controversial choice, but over the past year, he's been using the tool to help design his band's new album covers. Each one showcases grand concepts, stunning imagery and ultimately a piece of art that demands attention in an era where all musicians are jostling to stand out. 'We're in the blockbuster age where people like to see big, big things,' Black says from his office. 'Whenever I have an idea, it's usually something beyond what we have the resources to do, and AI means you don't have to put a lid on those ideas.' His work usually starts with typing a few descriptive words into AI software and collecting the images it spits back out. Then, he uses photo editing to fine-tune his favourites so they fit his original vision. Sometimes, he submits those altered images back into the AI to generate more ideas. 'There's quite a bit of back-and-forth where you're applying your own skill and then putting it back in,' he said. 'It's a little bit like arguing with a robot. You have to nuance it into doing what you want.' One of his first experiments was the cover artwork for Finger Eleven's 2024 single 'Adrenaline.' The illustration shows a curvaceous woman in a skin-tight red-and-white-racing suit, her head concealed under a motorcycle helmet. She's standing in the middle of a racetrack with her back to the viewer. A cloudy blue sky imparts an otherworldly calm. Anyone who's seen recent AI artwork will probably recognize the hyperrealistic sheen of its esthetic. Other familiar AI trademarks are there too, including a landscape firmly rooted in a dream world. Generative image models are trained on billions of photographs to learn patterns, such as recurring shapes and styles. They then use that information to construct images that can often seem familiar. Many fear that the tools also draw from copyrighted pieces without permission from their creators. It's a legal quagmire that only skirts the surface of the ethical debate around generative AI models. Beyond the copyright risks, critics fear the technology will cost album cover designers and photographers their jobs. But AI programs such as NightCafe, CoPilot and Adobe Firefly offer cutting-edge possibilities that many artists say they can't ignore. Still, Black said he understands there are ethical concerns. 'I'm definitely torn myself,' he said. 'But I'm using it because it extends as far as my imagination can go.' Other musicians have found that generative AI answers the demands of a streaming industry that pressures them to churn out new music, eye-catching lyric videos and other visual elements regularly. But some fan bases aren't sympathetic to those reasons. Last year, Tears for Fears was slammed on social media after they revealed the cover of their live album 'Songs for a Nervous Planet,' which had several familiar AI image traits. The illustration shows an astronaut staring straight at the viewer, their face concealed under a space helmet. They're standing in the middle of a field of sunflowers that stretches into the distance. A cloudy blue sky imparts otherworldly calm. The cover's creator, Vitalie Burcovschi, described it as 'art created by AI using human imagination.' But fans were quick to accuse the band of using AI that might have scraped copyrighted work. As blowback intensified, the English duo released a statement calling it 'a mixed media digital collage, with AI being just one of the many tools used.' Pop singer Kesha encountered similar flak for the cover of her 2024 single 'Delusional,' which featured a pile of Hermés Birkin bags with the song's name spray-painted across them. Fans instantly recognized common flaws of an AI-created image: misspellings in the song's title, sloppy digital fragments. Some demanded she redo the artwork with paid photographers. It took months, but the singer replaced the image with a photograph of herself tied to a chair. She assured fans it was created with an 'incredible team of humans.' 'AI is a Pandora's box that we as a society have collectively opened, and I think it's important that we keep human ramifications in mind as we learn how to use it as a tool and not as a replacement,' she said in an Instagram post in May. Illustrator and musician Keenan Gregory of the band Forester says he used AI technology to extend the background of an old photograph so it could fit on the cover of the band's upcoming EP. The original image for 'Young Guns' was taken in the 1940s as a vertical photograph and showed bass player Dylan Brulotte's grandfather strolling through the streets of Edmonton. Gregory needed a square shape for the album cover, so he put the shot into Photoshop's generative AI tool, which artificially extended the frame's left and right edges with more detail. He removed certain background elements, like storefront signs, with a blend of traditional photo editing techniques. 'Typically, an artist would have to do that manually,' he said. 'But having AI provide you with options, which you then edit, is very powerful.' Gregory said he considers AI one of a photo editor's many tools, adding he didn't use it to make the cover for Royal Tusk's 'Altruistic,' which earlier this year won him a Juno Award for best album artwork. Even when musicians are transparent about using AI, some fans are not ready to embrace it, as British Columbia rock band Unleash the Archers learned last year. Vocalist Brittney Slayes said their concept album 'Phantoma' told the story of an AI gaining sentience and escaping into the real world in the body of an android. To explore the album's theme, Slayes said some of her songwriting drew inspiration from ChatGPT suggestions, while they used visual AI programs to create inspiration images for songs. She said the band also filmed a music video for 'Green & Glass' and then fed the finished product into an AI model trained on artwork by Bo Bradshaw — the illustrator for the band's merchandise. It spat out an AI-animated version of the video. 'We paid to license all of his artwork … so he was compensated and he was credited,' she said. But the reaction was swift. Some listeners accused the band of theft, alleging that despite paying for Bradshaw's work, the AI tool likely used other unlicensed art to fill out the visuals. 'We didn't realize that even though our model was trained after one artist, the program was going to fill in the blanks with others,' Slayes said. 'People didn't care. The second the word 'AI' was used, we were targeted. You know, the usual Twitter uproar, being like scraped across the internet as these terrible people that use AI in their music.' Unleash the Archers responded on their socials, issuing a statement acknowledging they had unintentionally implied their video featured original artwork by Bradshaw when it was actually produced through an AI program without his direct involvement. Their statement recognized how fraught the risks are for bands eager to explore new technology, saying that 'while we were expecting some controversy, we weren't expecting as much as we got.' Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Slayes said the backlash has forever sullied her connection to the album, which she originally intended as an exploration of an inevitable AI future. Instead, to her, it's become a reminder of how fast-developing AI technology is provoking deep-rooted anxieties. 'People are still afraid of it,' she said. 'And for good reason, because it is taking jobs.' For other artists, she urges them to think carefully about how they introduce AI into their own projects: 'If you're going to use AI for your artwork, you've got to have a really good reason.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These Are Your Favorite Summer Driving Songs
Unless you frequent private karaoke venues or vast desolate prairie expanses of empty, echoing nothingness, your car is probably the only place where you don't really have restrictions on the volume at which you listen to your music. A car is a place for cranking your stereo, singing along to your heart's content, and parking without embarrassment for who might have heard. But as the mercury rises and the vibes improve as summer comes around, what will you be listening to in your car? Earlier this week, we asked you for your favorite summer driving songs. Today, we're combing through your answers to pick out our favorites. Throw them together into a playlist if you'd like, or grab your personal picks to play on repeat until you arrive at your summer destinations — always just a bit hoarser than when you left. Let's see what kinds of music all you beautiful Jalops are into. Read more: There's A Relic Runway From America's Failed Supersonic Future Hiding In The Everglades There's one thing I really miss about living in the LA area (and this leads to the song choice.) I miss the warm June evenings with the sun starting to set over the Santa Monica pier. The ocean breeze picks up a little bit and takes away some of the heat of the day. The top goes down and the stereo gets turned up. And Jim Morrison belts out "LA Woman" like the worn out blues man that he wanted to musical tastes were formed in the 1980s so my driving playlists have a lot of Depeche Mode, INXS, Tears for Fears, and if I'm in the mood to violate some speed laws and rupture some eardrums, launch into the intro of Paradise City and hang on. There's some country roads to conquer. The Ed Sullivan scene of the Doors movie has lived rent-free in my head for approximately my entire life. RIP to Val Kilmer, truly. Submitted by: Xavier96 I don't know why, but the beginning to Talking Heads "I Zimbra" sounds like the soundtrack to the beginning of an Italian Job-style heist scene. Everybody makes their last preparations, looks at some plot-related memento, and starts their engines. And then the heist begins in earnest. I always feel a little cooler when that song comes on while I'm driving, or better yet, walking to my car.I am very excited for someone to come in here and show me a clip of exactly this, perhaps even in that very-unnecessary remake of The Italian Job. Hey, I liked that remake! The fact that I was seven when it came out surely doesn't factor in. Submitted by: Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death There is no better song to drop the windows (and the top/t-tops/targa top) and cruise to than Panama by Van the sun, drum on the steering wheel, and sing along with your friends. Heck, if you pull up next to me blasting Panama, I'll probably turn my music down and sing along!! "Panama" goes hard as hell and anyone who disagrees is simply, objectively, wrong. Submitted by: Stillnotatony Radar Love, original version or the equally good White Lion cover. Hey! No self-promo! Submitted by: Golden Earring Hollywood Nights, Bob it's dad-rock. Sure, it's old. But, with the windows down on a summer night, it's sublime. I feel like this AOTD is going to be really helpful in terms of putting titles and artists that I grew up listening to on classic rock radio. "Hollywood Nights" was a mainstay of 95.1 WRKI Brookfield-Danbury, A Cumulus Media Station, The Home Of Rock And Roll, I-95. Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy The Cars: Moving in Stereo/All Mixed UpNot sure its my favorite, but it has to be near the top for summer driving. "Moving In Stereo" is pretty downtempo for a summer vibe, but maybe Rapchat is thinking more in the top-down-cruise-at-sunset vein. Submitted by: Rapchat Ventura Highway - Immaculate summer vibes and alligator lizards in the air is one of the greatest lines in any song ever I'll be honest here, I don't know that I've ever heard an America track besides "A Horse With No Name." Submitted by: AlligatorLizard Isn't Joe Satriani's Summer Song the only correct answer??? As a former Ibanez player, I'm legally mandated to listen to this track all the way through in the course of writing this AOTD. They make you sign a contract when you buy the guitar. Submitted by: Smricha2 Life is a Highway by Tom Cochran. Was on a family road trip as a kid and heard it all the time it seemed like when the song came out. With how overplayed "Life Is A Highway" is, I'm genuinely shocked it only came out in 1991. I thought it had another couple decades on it. Submitted by: Max Alfa 4C So many to choose from, but one of my long-standing favorites is "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple a wonderfully simple and calm guitar riff overlayed with silky smooth (and very singable) vocals make it a perfect soundtrack for a good was originally written to be a bossa-nova type song. It got changed a good bit throughout the writing process, but still kept a lot of that relaxed sound characteristic of bossa nova. Now this one's a throwback for me personally, as one of my dad's go-to guitar songs when I was a kid. Submitted by: Stubb063 During the summer day?Probably something normal like ride of the valkyries (classical music) or leave it on some local music stationAt night? Definitely something in the synthwave genre originally from before my time lol... newer artists like carpenter brut and kavinsky has some solid hits, and gunship and etc... definitely had more than a few nights cruising/speeding around to this before. I'm sorry, something normal like "Ride Of The Valkyries"? I'm all in on the synthwave, but Richard Wagner is normal casual listening for you? Submitted by: Killerhurtalot Tonight I feel ambitious and so does my foot as it sinks on the pedal, I press it to the floor.I don't need a girl, don't need a friend, cuz my friend lonesome's unconditional we're flying forever boredFor a moment I love everything I see and think and feel I love my broke side view mirrorCuz it's so perfect, I'm so perfect, you're so perfect, you're not hereI hear the change is gearMy pile shakes as I hit 80 on the open road. This is an open road - Open Road Song is up there among the best. Max from Eve 5 follows me on Bluesky and I'll be sure to tell him our commenters are singing his praises. Submitted by: potbellyjoe It's not summer yet, and I had absolutely no summer last year, so I have to pull if from my memory of the summer 2023. And that year, it was $20 and Not Strong Enough by boygenius. They are so fantastic Personally, I'm a big fan of having a motorcycle in your front lawn. More people should listen to boygenius, I think. Both as music and as advice-givers. Submitted by: J.B.2.1. Foghat - Slow Ride. Gotta love the riff, take it easy, take it sleazy. Ah, memories of Guitar Hero 3. I remember being able to fully walk out of the room with a wireless guitar controller, playing on Hard, and not fail song. Good times. Submitted by: dolor Last year was Not like us and Houdini by Eminem. Let's see what the summer has to show us! SAY DRAKE. Submitted by: Noturbestfriend Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Grey's Anatomy Enlists Lena Waithe for Multi-Episode Arc — What's Her Connection to Catherine?
Lena Waithe is scrubbing into Grey's Anatomy: The Emmy winner is set to appear in two episodes of the ABC medical drama, beginning Thursday, March 13. According to Deadline, Waithe will play Dr. Evynn Moore, a former student of Debbie Allen's Catherine Fox. Brilliant and resourceful, Dr. Moore comes to Grey Sloan for Fox's help on a case that involves her wife (played by Run the World's Andrea Bordeaux). More from TVLine Grey's Anatomy Sneak Peek: It's Tears for Fears in Your First Look at the Midseason Premiere When Is Your Favorite TV Show Back? An A-to-Z List of 300+ Scripted Series Scott Foley to Play a Minister in Faith-Based Drama for Amazon Grey's Anatomy, which has been on hiatus since November, resumes Season 21 on Thursday, March 6 at 10/9c. In the midseason premiere, 'the aftermath of the convenience store shooting brings chaos to Grey Sloan,' per the official logline. Meanwhile, 'Ben hits a wall with his new emergency preparedness plan, Romantic tensions surface for Owen,' and 'Amelia and Winston disagree over the surgical plan for a young patient.' Waithe first gained recognition for her starring role as Denise on Netflix's Master of None. She took home an Emmy in Season 2 for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. She then went on to create the BET comedies Boomerang and Twenties, as well as Showtime drama The Chi, which was previously renewed for Season 7. She also serves as an executive producer on the Prime Video horror anthology Them. Excited to see Waithe join the family — at least for a couple of episodes? Drop your thoughts in a comment below. Grey's Anatomy Midseason Sneak Peek View List Best of TVLine Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Masked Singer' spoilers: Who is Coral?
Coral made her debut on the Feb. 12 episode of The Masked Singer Season 13 as a member of Group A. The sultry sea creature's first song on Fox's reality TV show was 'Mad World' by Tears for Fears, and she had the four panelists (Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, and Rita Ora) guessing such famous names as Carly Rae Jepsen, Sabrina Carpenter, and Halsey. But who is Coral? If you're looking for The Masked Singer spoilers and clues, you've come to the right place! Read on for everything to know about Coral, including which famous celebrity we think is hiding underneath the mask. More from GoldDerby 'The Voice' Season 27 Episode 2 recap: Michael Bublé intimidates Adam, John, and Kelsea in 'The Blind Auditions Part 2' Rob Lowe kicks off 'The Floor' Super Bowl episode with Sexiest Man Alive taunt: Plus, confusion over Tony winners 'RuPaul's Drag Race' recap: SprayPaintGate pits Lexi against Onya after a 'sea sickening' mishap Gold Derby's official guess for Coral is … Meg Donnelly! Don't believe us? Let's examine all of the clues so far, one by one: Here is what Coral had to say about herself: 'The Coral costume is so majestic, but she's also got these hard, tough edges — the kind that are strong and resilient. That's why I relate to her. Ever since I was young, I dreamed of being a star. I'd ask everyone, 'Please, please, please let me sing for you!' But, for eight years it was rejection after rejection. I was this little girl struggling through the madness of the industry. Just as I was about to give it all up, a small victory turned into my voice being heard across the globe. Now, that unpredictable madness has led me here. As Coral, I'm casting my net towards a new goal: securing that trophy.' Donnelly tried for years to make it as a singer, including a 2019 audition for American Idol that sounds eerily similar to Coral. Despite struggling in the music business, she did land roles in various TV shows and films, including Disney's Zombies franchise and, more recently, as the voice of Supergirl in the animated films Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths parts one, two, and three. SEE 'The Masked Singer': Top 21 most famous celebrities of all time On-screen hints during Coral's video package include the following: a model home with an American flag, a TV screen with a broken heart on it, and a 'live' sign. The flag could be a nod to Donnelly starring in over 100 episodes of the ABC sitcom American Housewife from 2016 to 2021. The broken heart hints at Donnelly's role in the 2017 TV movie The Broken Ones. The 'live' sign might be a clue about one of her earliest career breaks — as the understudy for Louisa in 2013's The Sound of Music Live! with Carrie Underwood. Following her performance of 'Mad World,' Coral revealed: 'You know, all those no's just made me stronger and all it took was one yes to start a wave of success!' Donnelly certainly knows about dealing with rejection, but her perseverance in the industry finally paid off. Who do you think is hiding underneath the Coral costume on The Masked Singer Season 13? Sound off down in the comments section and join the discussion in our reality TV forums. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby 'The Masked Singer' spoilers: Who is Fuzzy Peas? 'The Masked Singer' spoilers: Who is Ant? 'Hell's Kitchen' winners ranked worst to best: All seasons Click here to read the full article.
