Tencent Music-owned Kugou Music has developed AI singing technology called KUGOU AIK, which is claimed to be the world’s first multi-lingual AI singing technology.
According to Tencent Music, users only need to sing a cappella for 60 seconds, and then AIK can completely ”imitate” the user’s vocal characteristics to “sing”.
This technology enables users to “perform a variety of challenging songs”, according to the companies, which claim that “everyone can become a professional singer with AI”.
Currently, through KUGOU AIK, users can sing songs in 15 Chinese dialects and 10 languages, including English, Japanese, Korean and more.
Multi-million-selling Irish pop group Westlife revealed today (July 16) that they used the technology to release a new single in China, performed entirely in Mandarin.
The song is a cover of Jason Zhang’s 2016 hit, Love + Courage, and is available in China exclusively through Tencent Music Entertainment. Westlife say that they “personally oversaw the entire creative process” for the AI track “over a number of months”.
Westlife hold 14 No.1 singles on the Official UK Singles Chart, making them one of the most successful groups of all time in the UK.
Westlife are also claimed to be one of the biggest international artists of all time in China. They are one of the most popular International groups on Weibo and on WeChat Channels, two of the most significant Chinese social platforms.
They also hold the record for the largest live audience ever achieved for a live stream concert, duetting with the Backstreet Boys and achieving 44 million real-time viewers on WeChat.
Over the past year, the band have played 13 stadium shows, 10 arena shows and have performed to over 300,000 fans across China. This is claimed to be the biggest tour ever conducted by an international artist in Greater China.
Westlife’s use of Kugou Music’s AI tech to release a track in Mandarin is an interesting test case for other Western superstars looking to engage and build their fanbase in non-English language markets.
As AI tech improves and is used more widely in the music industry, could we start seeing more and more artists release tracks in other languages using AI?
Think about it. A superstar artist with a global fanbase, from Taylor Swift to BTS, could, hypothetically, release a track in multiple languages on the same day.
We’ve previously written about the global potential of multilingual releases, made possible with AI voice technology, such as the tech developed by HYBE-owned AI startup Supertone.
Last year, MIDNATT, the alter-ego of HYBE-signed artist Lee Hyun, released a track called Masquerade, which was touted by South Korea-headquartered HYBE as the “first-ever multilingual track produced in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese”.
According to HYBE, MIDNATT (aka Lee Hyun) sang the track in the six languages, and using Supertone’s AI, “the pronunciation data of native speakers was applied to the track to further refine the artist’s pronunciation and intonation”.
Back in China, Tencent Music has also been investing in AI voice tech for some time. In November, 2022, TME revealed that it had created and released over 1,000 tracks containing vocals created by AI tech that mimics the human voice and that one of those tracks had surpassed 100 million streams.
“It took months to get it right as we wanted it to be the perfect reflection of our voices and we are thrilled with the final version.”
Westlife
Westlife said: “The fan response from us singing The Ordinary Road in Mandarin was truly overwhelming and this just felt like it could be another fun thing to do for our Chinese fans.
“It took months to get it right as we wanted it to be the perfect reflection of our voices and we are thrilled with the final version. It’s hugely exciting. We are delighted it is one of Jason Zhang’s songs as we performed with him on a previous tour. We hope our Chinese fans love it.”
“This aligns perfectly with Tencent Music Entertainment’s corporate mission of ‘creating endless possibilities with music and technology’.”
Tencent Music Entertainment
Tencent Music Entertainment added: “Since the release of their album Wild Dreams in 2021, Westlife has continued to deepen their connection with China and Tencent Music Entertainment.
“In 2022, Westlife took their love for their Chinese fans to new heights by deeply participating in Tencent Music Entertainment Group’s annual non-profit program “If Music Has a Shape,” demonstrating their love for their Chinese fans through the campaign.
“This ongoing mutual dedication is why we have chosen Westlife as the first international artist to collaborate with to release AI music. We hope to use AI technology to bring Westlife ‘a bit closer’ to their fans in China.
“This aligns perfectly with Tencent Music Entertainment’s corporate mission of ‘creating endless possibilities with music and technology’.”Music Business Worldwide