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26 Apr 2023

Jack Harlow’s ‘Jackman.’ Album Is Just Days Away

Jack Harlow‘s third full-length studio album, Jackman., will drop this Friday (April 28). The surprise announcement about the follow-up to last year’s Come Home the Kids Miss You came on Wednesday morning (April 26), with a spokesperson saying no additional information was available at press time about a lead single, track list or features.

The news was accompanied by what appears to be the Jackman. cover, a shot of a shirtless Harlow standing with his arms crossed in an alleyway next to some garbage cans. Harlow will be among the 2023 class of Hometown Heroes whose banners will go up around his stomping grounds next week, joining the likes of previous honorees Muhammad Ali and Colonel Harlan Sanders, alongside fellow 2023 honorees jazz musician Lionel Hampton, golfer Justin Thomas and NBA champ Wes Unseld.

After blasting onto the rap scene in 2020 with “What’s Poppin’” from his debut album, That’s What They All Say, Harlow did it again with Come Home, which featured the single “Nail Tech” and chart-topping smash “First Class.”

In addition to the new album and the hometown honor, Harlow will also star in the upcoming remake of White Men Can’t Jump, which will hit Hulu on May 19. The trailer for the MC’s film debut dropped last week and found the “Industry Baby” rapper portraying a self-care loving, goofily dressed rich kid who is surprisingly good at basketball, much to his rival’s (played by Sinqua Walls) shock.

“You assumed I couldn’t hoop because I’m white, which is incredibly outdated,” Harlow says to Walls’ character in the trailer, to which Walls replies, “No, I assumed you couldn’t hoop because you were dressed like a white girl at Whole Foods.”

Check out the album cover below.

26 Apr 2023

Here’s the Date of the 2023 BET Awards

The 2023 BET Awards will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, June 25. It will be the latest awards show to celebrate five decades of hip-hop. The Grammys and the Juno Awards also gave hip-hop a 50th anniversary salute on their 2023 editions in February and March, respectively.

This will be the 23rd edition of the BET Awards, which calls itself “Culture’s Biggest Night.”

“We are thrilled to be back in L.A. for BET Awards 2023 and to celebrate a huge cultural milestone – the 50th anniversary of hip-hop,” Connie Orlando, EVP specials, music programming and music strategy at BET, said in a statement. “For five decades, hip-hop has not only influenced American culture, but has become a global phenomenon and one of the most influential musical genres of our lifetime. From music to fashion, art, and entertainment, we are honored to have always provided a platform for hip-hop to thrive. We look forward to paying tribute to the pioneers and innovators as we amplify the new generation of hip-hop artists like only BET can.”

This year’s venue hasn’t yet been finalized. The show has been held at the Microsoft Theater every year since 2013, except the 2020 show, which was a virtual production due to the pandemic.

Taraji P. Henson hosted the 2021 and 2022 BET Awards, becoming the show’s first repeat host since Black-ish stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross co-hosted in 2015-16. Other hosts since the show moved from the Shrine Auditorium to the Microsoft Theater have been Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, Leslie Jones, Jamie Foxx and Regina Hall. (Amanda Seales hosted the 2020 show.)

Orlando will executive produce this year’s show, with Jamal Noisette, VP, specials, music programming & music strategy to co-executive produce for BET. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.

The BET Awards has been the top-rated cable award show among all adults 18-49 the past two years, and has been the No. 1 cable award show among Black adults 18-49 for the past 21 years.

26 Apr 2023

For Evaluna, Music, Love, Family and Motherhood Are the Perfect Mix

This story is part of Billboard‘s Mujeres Latinas en la Música package.

When their baby, Índigo, turned 40 days old, new parents Evaluna Montaner de Echeverry and Camilo Echeverry packed their bags and embarked on their first tour as a family of three. “She fits in perfectly with this [tour] life, thank goodness,” says Evaluna proudly of her daughter, the superstar couple’s first child. 

It’s late March and the multifaceted artist — singer-songwriter, actress and director — is home in Miami after wrapping up the first leg of the couple’s ambitious De Adentro Pa’ Afuera world tour, which kicked off last year. “The crew became Índigo’s second family.” She adds, “It’s just so much fun to see her surrounded by many people that love her.” 

Evaluna, 25, and who goes by her first name only, grew up in a similar environment. Her father is prolific singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner, her mother is director Marlene Rodríguez Miranda — who directs all of Ricardo’s music videos — and her brothers are recording artists Ricardo and Mauricio Montaner (known as the duo Mau y Ricky). 

While Evaluna’s name is often seen side by side with those of her famous husband, siblings and parents, she’s a powerhouse in her own right. With a distinctive soothing voice that has captured more than 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 4 million YouTube subscribers (as well as 21 million followers on Instagram), her ability to balance life as a Montaner (on- and offscreen), in addition to a marriage, a recording and directing career and now motherhood on the road, embodies a different kind of pop star: One that makes family part of her success. 

“It has been wonderful to grow up in the family that I’ve grown up in, where they are open to all of us following our dreams. Our dreams all happen to go hand in hand, and we’re able to work together.” 

That modeled her own relationship with Colombian star Camilo (who also goes by his first name), whom she married in February 2020. The pair collaborated on “Por Primera Vez,” “Machu Picchu” and “Índigo,” which peaked at No. 16 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart and No. 26 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. She has also directed all of Camilo’s music videos, following in the footsteps of her mother, who would take Evaluna to work with her while she was directing on set. “I’d be her AD [assistant director], and it would be great because she’d make me do a bunch of things although I was really young,” she remembers. “I felt I was being productive, and that really encouraged me to say, ‘I think I can do this too.’ I don’t know if I’ll be as good as her, but I can try.” Even after directing for three years now, Evaluna confesses she’ll still call her mom to ask: “Do you think this idea for a music video is cool or do you think this is going to be lame?” 

Aside from touring and directing, Evaluna’s music career (she’s managed by Jorge Ferradas at FPM Entertainment, who also manages Camilo) is “very much a priority.” Her latest single, “Refugio,” a sunny ballad released last year with a video (directed by her mom) with over 4 million YouTube views, is a preview of what’s to come. “I’m not one to release a whole bunch of songs and go single after single,” she explains. “I like taking my time and nurturing a song before releasing it. I’m getting closer to the stripped-down, raw sound I want to have for myself.” 

A few weeks after Billboard spoke with Evaluna, the family of three will pack up again and kick off the second leg of the tour in Central America and Mexico. “Having to wake up early after you’ve had a long night, that’s intense,” she says of touring with a baby in tow. 

Still, that doesn’t compare to the comments she was seeing online after giving birth, the less-talked-about side effect of having millions of eyes on you. “That was the hardest part,” Evaluna says. “They were saying that childbirth had ‘done a number on me.’ The only reason I’m sharing this is because I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. I regret feeling for a moment that those people might be right. I regret it because my body is incredible. It has been doing some crazy things since the moment I got pregnant.” She then adds confidently, “I feel like I’ve really grown as a woman, being a mother to this beautiful girl. I can say that I’m the woman I always dreamed of becoming.”

Tickets to Billboard‘s Latin Women In Music can be purchased here.

26 Apr 2023

Paris Hilton Is Coming to You Live in Concert for a First-Ever Performance This Summer

There may be “Nothing in This World” that Paris Hilton fans want more than an official live performance from the Simple Life star. Now, it looks like they’re finally getting their wish.

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On Wednesday (April 26), the socialite-turned-singer announced Paris Hilton: Live in Concert, an upcoming event that will see Hilton take to the stage at L.A.’s Fonda Theater to perform some of her biggest songs. While Hilton has become known in recent years for her career as a DJ, her new show will mark her first full concert as a vocalist. The event is also set to feature “a variety of popular artists and musical guests” who have yet to be revealed, according to a press release.

Taking place on June 7, the show will also give back to the LGBTQ community as Pride Month kicks off — a portion of all ticket sales will go to GLAAD. Hilton is also teaming up with Absolut as the event’s “exclusive cocktail partner” for the evening, noting the company’s “40+ years of LGBTQ allyship” in a press release.

In a post to her Instagram, Hilton excitedly shared the news of her upcoming performance, telling fans that tickets would be available to purchase starting on May 5. “What songs would you like me to perform?” she asked.

Along with kicking off the “Stars Are Blind” singer’s “Summer of Sliving,” the concert will also serve as the official debut for the new music division of Hilton’s 11:11 Media. “My media company continues to expand, and I am so excited about the launch of 11:11 Media’s music division,” Hilton said in a statement.

The star added that fans of her music career won’t have to wait much longer to hear her first new album since 2006’s Paris. “I’ve been in the studio working on a brand new album, which will usher in a new era in my music career,” she said. “I am very excited for fans to experience my first concert as a vocal performer and the guest performances will be legendary!”

Tickets to Paris Hilton: Live in Concert go on sale at AXS starting Friday, May 5, at 1 p.m. ET. Click here to get your tickets then, and check out Paris’ official announcement on Instagram below:

26 Apr 2023

Katy Perry Is ‘Excited’ to Stay at Windsor Castle for King Charles’ Coronation Performance: ‘This Is Wild’

Katy Perry is one of the few American musicians who is slated to perform at King Charles III’s coronation on May 6 at London’s Westminster Abbey. Leading up to the event, she revealed that being invited to sing at the ceremony is an “honor,” she told Extra in a Monday (April 24) interview.

Speaking with the outlet, the American Idol judge added, “I’m an ambassador to one of his foundations for the British Asian trust, which primarily focuses on ending child trafficking, which is a huge issue of our time that people don’t talk enough about, and it just aligned with all my values. … He asked me to sing and it all aligned.”

The “Firework” singer also recalled getting the invitation to perform in the mail, stating that it “was very regal. It was like a cursive I have never seen [before] … I loved it.”

Perry revealed that the royal family is also kind enough to let her stay at the Windsor Castle, which is currently inhabited by Prince William and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. “I’m really excited,” the pop star shared, later hinting that fans may want to keep an eye on her social media content in the coming weeks. “I might be posting a lot because I’m gonna be in a castle, for real. This is wild.”

In addition to Perry, her fellow Idol judge Lionel Richie — who was named the first global ambassador of the Prince’s Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III — will also sing at the coronation. Other performers include Take That (Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen), Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel (performing as a duo), and Freya Ridings, who will sing accompanied by classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench.

Perry also talked to Extra about having multiple of her videos hit a billion views on YouTube. “I always dreamt really big and I never put limits on my dreams, but it’s wild when you don’t put bowling bumpers on your dreams how big they can actually go,” she said. “I really believe in making it happen and putting that hard work behind it and really swinging until you get that lucky moment.”

Watch Katy Perry’s interview in the video above.

26 Apr 2023

Blondshell Needed to Find Her Voice — In More Ways Than One — Before Releasing Her Debut Album

The Project

Blondshell arrived April 7 on Partisan via Knitting Factory. and included the artist’s 2022 debut single “Olympus.”

The Origin

Sabrina Teitelbaum wanted to be a singer since she was a kid growing up in Manhattan. In 2015, she moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California’s Popular Music Program, and eventually launched a solo pop project called Baum. But it wasn’t until she wrote the broody and slow-burning “Olympus” that her career clicked, and Blondshell was born. Producer Yves Rothman encouraged her to write more songs in the same raw and rock-inspired style, which she recalls felt “intimidating” at first. But the songs, most of which make up Blondshell, tumbled out quickly. “It was just obvious to me that this stuff was more who I am,” she says now.

The Sound

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Teitelbaum was raised on rock greats like The Rolling Stones and is a big fan of The National (she says the band’s black-and-white album art for Trouble Will Find Me inspired her own debut cover). At the same time, having grown up in the 2000s, she was listening to pop icons like Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, “and all these people who had higher belting ranges,” she recalls — adding that for a long time, she thought that she had to sing that way, too. 

It took a song like the confessional “Sepsis,” one of her favorite songs to perform live, to make her rethink that approach. “It’s just in a good place for my voice,” she says of the track. “And when I started writing the album, particularly with ‘Sepsis,’ I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to do that. I’m just gonna sing in the most comfortable part of my voice.’ It’s fun to sing that one because it’s just easy.”

The Record

Blondshell had a “relaxing celebration” when her album arrived, performing at Amoeba on release night and heading to the beach the following day. Blondshell debuted at No. 88 on Billboard’s Top Current Album Sales chart, becoming her first entry on any tally. Of signing with an indie label, she says “I didn’t wanna press that button that was like, ‘This is exactly who I’m gonna be for the rest of my career.’ I really wanted the freedom to change that up … I’ve been thinking about, ‘What did I bring in as references for this album?’ And it was a lot of 90s guitar driven music. I am always gonna have that as a reference, because that’s the music that I love.”

The Breakthrough

Though Blondshell only debuted in 2022, the artist says getting to this point – where in recent months she’s played her favorite venue The Fonda and made her late night television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – has required years of work: “First [it was], ‘How do I even get on Spotify? How do I meet producers and how do I go to sessions?’ Just years of step-by-step. And then, ‘What do I wanna sound like as a performer? What do I want my show to look like?’

“I was getting kind of scared the last couple years because I was like, ‘I don’t know what I would do in a long term kind of way if it wasn’t music,’” she recalls. “I think people put so much pressure on musicians, especially women, to know exactly who you are as an artist at such a young age, and to find success and all these ideas — like, ‘If you’re not having success by the time you’re like 25, then it’s not gonna happen.’ All these messages that got sent while I was growing up were kind of freaking me out for a period of time.” 

The moment that started to shift, she says, was when she played her first show as Blondshell last summer: “That felt like a big moment, because I put ‘Olympus’ out and I think people hadn’t heard that kind of music [from me]. Some of my friends hadn’t heard it, people I had worked with. And then I got to be like, ‘See, I’ve been working really hard at this thing and getting this live show ready,’ and I got to show people.”

The Future

Blondshell is already excited for her next album, on which she wants to be more experimental, while still rooted in rock. She cites PJ Harvey as an artist who’s released successful but “weirder, progressively” indie-rock albums over the course of her career. “I wanna just play around with different structures and stuff like that,” she says.

She’s also taking note of who she believes to be stellar vocalists. “I feel like there’s a lot of artists right now that are really good live,” she says. “That’s the thing I’m looking at in other artists who are ahead of me or further along in their career.” She mentions Ethel Cain and Willow in particular, whose Coachella performances she keeps seeing clips of online. She also mentions a superstar she has been inspired by since she was a kid: Miley Cyrus. “I love her,” says Blondshell. “I was just watching videos of her singing yesterday and it takes so much work to sound that good and to be that consistent.”

The Piece of Advice Every New Indie Artist Needs to Hear

“While you’re in the process of making the music, don’t think about how you’re gonna put it out. Don’t bring the business parts of it into the actual writing. I would say leave those elements – and also leave your expectations about whether or not people will connect to it – outside.”

The Indie Artist/Band You’re Currently Obsessed With

“I like Wednesday a lot. Listen to ‘Formula One.’”

The Most Exciting Thing In Music Right Now

“I see a lot of singer-songwriters making indie feel more mainstream right now. And I think guitar music becoming popular again is sort of part of that. I also feel like it’s kind of like, indie sleaze is back. I think people are craving that energy. But I don’t know, I just feel like there’s more space for different kinds of music to be popular on a more mainstream level right now.

But more importantly, there being more room for other types of music than just three genres. And [knowing] your references can be very different. I think people might be surprised that I absolutely love Miley Cyrus. There’s a lot of very indie artists who love her. I saw her on the street once, I had my sister’s dog and she said, ‘Can I say “hi” to the dog?’ And I was like, ‘You’re Miley Cyrus.’ I was with my family and my dad was like, ‘Who is that? You’re blushing.’ I was like, ‘Are you f–king serious? It’s Miley Cyrus, and yeah, I’m blushing. You don’t have to call me out.’ It was kind of iconic of him, actually.”

26 Apr 2023

Bloody Crazy Town Fight Between Singer, Guitarist Throws ‘Nu-Metal Madness’ Tour Into Chaos

The latest edition of the Nu-Metal Madness 2 tour featuring Crazy Town and (hed)p.e. was thrown into chaos this week after Crazy Town singer Seth “Shifty Shellshock” Binzer and guitarist/singer Bobby Reeves came to blows following a show in Myrtle Beach, CA over the weekend. As seen in a viral video, the band members who were touring as Crazy Town X, got into a bloody brawl after their show at The Boathouse on Saturday night.

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The fight was reportedly sparked by Binzer not coming out until the final song of the “Butterfly” group’s set. A YouTube video (warning: clip contains threats of sexual and physical violence) of the purported scuffle shows Binzer punching and kicking Reeves as the guitarist lays on the ground attempting to shield his face as an agitated Binzer shouts, “who has it, who has it?… you’ll give me my money or you’re never gonna f–king… you’re gonna steal my money? You robbed me!”

Reeves, his face bloodied, attempts to tell Binzer that he doesn’t have his money and at one point Binzer extends his hand to the guitarist to help him up as the two men square off face-to-face and Reeves makes a series of escalating violent threats against Binzer’s family. The guitarist then punches Binzer in the face as the pair exchange kicks and blows while Binzer repeatedly tells Reeves he loves him while demanding his guarantee for the gig.

While a spokesperson for the band could not be reached at press time, Reeves posted an Instagram Story on Tuesday (April 24) from Houston in which he sported cuts and bruising on his face and said, “me and Shifty got in a little scuffle, but it’s all good, we’re brothers,” lifting up his dark glasses to reveal two swollen black eyes. “No big deal,” he adds. “Love you Shifty too.”

The Myrtle Beach Sun-News reported that Boathouse management declined to comment on the altercation. But (hed)p.e. singer Jared Gomes released a video statement on Tuesday in which he said Crazy Town had been booted off the tour following the incident. “[We] Had to kick Crazy Town off the tour. We’re not saints, by any means, and (hed)p.e. has done some crazy s–t,” he said. “I’m not passing judgement on Crazy Town or Seth or anything like that. But whatever has gone on with us, we’ve always tried to come with a good rock show.”

Gomes added, “Because of what’s going on with Seth and Crazy Town right now — Seth needs help. We can’t just sit by while he’s on the road, battling demons to the death. He needs to get off the road and deal with that s–t. You’ve seen the video. If it was just a fistfight between band members, maybe I could be the first one to mediate some s–t like that. But this is a lot deeper.”

The next stop on the tour is slated to take place tonight (April 26) at The Vixen in McHenry, IL.

See Gomes’ statement below.

26 Apr 2023

Watch Jimmy Fallon Mock Tucker Carlson’s Firing With a Taylor Swift Song

Jimmy Fallon doesn’t think Tucker Carlson is ever returning to Fox News, like ever. During his Tuesday night (April 26) opening monologue, the Tonight Show host employed the perfect breakup song to describe the conservative media personality’s messy split from the news network: Taylor Swift‘s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

Fallon started the bit by noting Fox News’ decision to let Carlson go following a couple of lawsuits, one of which exposed him for disparaging his colleagues. Another, filed in March by his ex-employee Abby Grossberg, accused him of sexism on Tucker Carlson Tonight.

“When asked about the split, Tucker had some very interesting things to say,” Fallon joked before cutting away to a highly edited video piecing together clips from episodes of Carlson’s show. Complete with background music, the final product shows him “singing” the chorus of Swift’s 2012 smash.

“We are never ever getting back together / You go talk to your friends talk to my friends talk to me,” Carlson mechanically says in the Mod Podge of clips.

“There you go,” Fallon shrugged after the video finished rolling. “Thanks for clearing that up.”

Up until Monday (April 24), Carlson had been a top-rated host at Fox News since 2016. He has not yet commented on his departure, while Fox has only released a brief statement thanking him “for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor.”

Watch Jimmy Fallon’s hilarious take on Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” above.

26 Apr 2023

PBS to Air ‘Still Playin’ Possum’ George Jones Tribute Special Featuring Jelly Roll, Brad Paisley & Tanya Tucker

April 26 marks a decade since Country Music Hall of Fame member George Jones died in 2013 at age 81. PBS stations are gearing up to honor the life and career of the iconic country music vocalist with the upcoming television special Still Playin’ Possum: Music & Memories of George Jones to premiere on PBS’ Great Performances, Billboard can reveal.

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On Tuesday (April 25), artists including Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, Wynonna, Travis Tritt, Jelly Roll and Tanya Tucker gathered before an audience at the Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala., to honor the late Jones with renditions of his hits, including “The Grand Tour,” “Tennessee Whiskey,” “White Lightnin’” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Fans who couldn’t make it to the show will get a chance to see the special evening when it is turned into this new PBS television special. A release date for the PBS special has not been set.

“Thank you to the fans and artists who traveled from all over to be in Huntsville, Ala., for this incredible tribute to George,” said Jones’ widow, Nancy Jones, who is an executive producer on the television special. “Everyone from the producers to the performers created an evening we will never forget and for those who couldn’t be there in person, this is your chance to have your own front-row seat. I hope everyone that attended or gets to see it on television will enjoy it and remember their favorite George song.”

Other artists on the lineup are Trace Adkins, Sara Evans, Justin Moore, Jamey Johnson, Joe Nichols (who performed with Jones on the Grand Ole Opry in 2007), Aaron Lewis (who released the song “Country Boy” in 2010, featuring Jones, Charlie Daniels and Chris Young), Michael Ray, Uncle Kracker, Lorrie Morgan (who had a hit with a cover of Jones’ “A Picture of Me (Without You)” in 1991), Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence, The Isaacs, Dillon Carmichael, T. Graham Brown, Gretchen Wilson, Sam Moore, Janie Fricke and Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke. Randy Travis, who collaborated with Jones on the track “A Few Ole Country Boys” in 1990, will also make a special appearance. T. Graham Brown and Tritt previously appeared as part of the all-star group of artists who sang in the chorus with Jones on his 1992 release “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.”

Jones, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992 and was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient for lifetime achievement in 2008, was known for his unique baritone and catalog of hits that included “She Thinks I Still Care,” “Walk Through This World With Me,” “A Good Year for the Roses,” “The Race is On” and “Tender Years.” The Texas native earned his first top 10 with the Starday-released single “Why Baby Why,” in 1955, and recorded over 160 charting singles. His first chart-topper on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart came in 1959 with the five-week No. 1 “White Lightnin,’” which he released via Mercury Records. He then joined United Artists and later Musicor, adding “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Race is On” and more to his catalog of hits.

He inked a deal with Epic Records in 1971, working with producer Billy Sherrill to record songs including “The Grand Tour” and “Bartenders Blues,” as well as duets between Jones and his then-wife, fellow country artist Tammy Wynette. Their electrifying, vulnerable vocal entwinement led to numerous hits in the 1970s including “We’re Gonna Hold On” and “Golden Ring.” Jones and Wynette divorced in 1975, and Jones’ music career hit a rough patch until he returned with the 1980 hit “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which earned a CMA Awards honor for single of the year, and earned Jones CMA male vocalist of the year wins in 1980 and 1981. His recording of “He Stopped Loving Her Today” also earned Jones a Grammy for best country vocal performance, male, in 1981.

During his career, Jones would earn 13 No. 1 Billboard Hot Country Songs hits. His final top 20 hit on the chart came with his guest vocal on Patty Loveless’ “You Don’t Seem to Miss Me,” which won a CMA Award for vocal event of the year in 1998.

26 Apr 2023

For the Record: The Real Problem With Fake Drake

For the last week, the most talked-about song in the music business has been “Heart on My Sleeve,” the track said to have been created by using artificial intelligence to imitate vocals from Drake and The Weeknd and uploaded to TikTok by the user Ghostwriter977. And while most reactions were impressed, there was a big difference between those of fans (“This isn’t bad, which is pretty cool!”) and executives (“This isn’t bad, which is really scary!”). As with much online technology, however, what’s truly remarkable, and frightening, isn’t the quality – it’s the potential quantity.

This particular track didn’t do much damage. Streaming services pulled it down after receiving a request from Universal Music Group, for which both Drake and The Weeknd record. YouTube says the track was removed because of a copyright claim, and “Heart on My Sleeve” contains at least one obvious infringement in the form of a Metro Boomin producer tag. But it’s not as clear as creators and rightsholders might like that imitating Drake’s voice qualifies as copyright infringement.

In a statement released around the time the track was taken down, Universal said that “the training of generative AI using our artists’ music” violated copyright. But it’s a bit more complicated than that. Whether that’s true in the U.S. depends on whether training AI with music qualifies as fair use – which will not be clear until courts rule on the matter. Whether it’s true in other countries depends on local statutory exceptions for text and data mining that vary in every country. Either way, though, purposefully imitating Drake’s voice would almost certainly violate his right to what an American lawyer might call his right of publicity but a fan would more likely call his artistic identity. There are precedents for this: A court held that Frito-Lay violated the rights of Tom Waits by imitating his voice for a commercial, and Bette Midler won a similar lawsuit against Ford. Both of those cases involved an implied endorsement – the suggestion of approval where none existed.

The violation of an AI imitation is far more fundamental, though. The essence of Drake’s art – the essence of his Drakeness, if you will – is his voice. (That voice isn’t great by any technical definition, any more than Tom Waits’ is, but it’s a fundamental part of his creativity, even his very identity.) Imitating that is fair enough when it comes to parody – this video of takes on Bob Dylan‘s vocal style seems like it should be fair game because it’s commenting on Dylan instead of ripping him off – but creating a counterfeit Drake might be even more of a moral violation than a commercial one. Bad imitators may be tacky, but people tend to regard very accurate ones as spooky. “Heart on My Sleeve” isn’t Drake Lite so much as an early attempt at Drakenstein – interesting to look at, but fundamentally alarming in the way it imitates humanity. (Myths and stories return to this theme all the time, and it’s hard to think of many with happy endings.) Universal executives know that – they have talked internally about the coming challenges of AI for years – which is why the company’s comment asked stakeholders “which side of history” they want to be on.

This track is just the sign of a coming storm. The history of technology is filled with debates about when new forms of media and technology will surpass old ones in terms of quality when it often matters much more about how cheap and easy they are. No one thinks movies look better on a phone screen than in a theatre, but the device is right there in your hand. Travel agents might be better at booking flights than Expedia, but – well, the fact that there aren’t that many of them anymore makes my point. Here, the issue isn’t whether AI can make a Drake track better than Drake – which is actually impossible by definition, because a Drake track without Drake isn’t really a Drake track at all – but rather how much more productive AI can be than human artists, and what happens once it starts operating at scale.

Imagine the most prolific artist you can think of – say, an insomniac YoungBoy Never Broke Again crossed with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Then imagine that this hypothetical artist never needs to eat or sleep or do anything else that interferes with work. Then imagine that he – or, really, it – never varies from a proven commercial formula. Now clone that artist thousands of times. Because that’s the real threat of AI to the music business – not the quality that could arrive someday but the quantity that’s coming sooner than we can imagine.

It has been said that 100,000 tracks get uploaded to streaming services every day. What happens once algorithms can make pop music at scale? Will that turn into a million tracks a day? Or 100 million? Could music recorded by humans become an exception instead of a rule? In the immediate future, most of this music wouldn’t be very interesting – but the sheer scale and inevitable variety could cut into the revenue collected by creators and rightsholders. The music business doesn’t need an umbrella – it needs a flood barrier.

In the long run, that barrier should be legal – some combination of copyright, personality rights and unfair competition law. That will take time to build, though. For now, streaming services need to continue to work with creators and rightsholders to make clear the difference between artists and their artificial imitators.

Fans who want to hear Drake shouldn’t have to guess which songs are really his.

For the Record is a regular column from deputy editorial director Robert Levine analyzing news and trends in the music industry. Find more here.