New music
ClashMusic
29 · 04 · 2023
A new AI generated clip has emerged with the voice of Kurt Cobain singing Hole classic Celebrity Skin’.
The AI debate will run and run – the ethics of utilising technology to generate art based on other’s creativity is far from settled. The slightly ‘uncanny valley’ aspect of hearing your favourites being reinterpreted isn’t going away, however – just look at the recent AISIS rendering of a ‘lost’ Oasis album. Next up: the disembodied voice of Kurt Cobain crooning through Hole classic ‘Celebrity Skin’.
Initially released in 1998 it stands as one of Courtney Love’s finest moments, the perfect blend of pop charisma and venomous underground charm. Perhaps the band’s high water mark as a commercial entity, it became a global hit, with its lyrics being cherished by fans.
While the long-awaited Hole reunion still feels a long way off – going by Courtney’s most recent comments, at any rate – AI is producing slightly unsettling pathways into the group’s legacy. Such as this ‘new’ take on ‘Celebrity Skin’ – vocalised by Kurt Cobain.
It’s far from perfect – this probably isn’t how Kurt would have approached such a song – but it grabs some of his inflections in an unerring way. There’s also a moral dubiety to this – Courtney Love has always suffered from misogynistic critics citing other authors for her work, including her late husband. Adding his voice to ‘Celebrity Skin’ echoes this – removing the original vocal isn’t really a good look.
That being said, the track is getting a strong reaction from fans, ranging from those eager to hear something – anything – that sounds like Nirvana, through to those outraged by the concept. Many of us, though, just get the ick.
One fan on Twitter writes: “I strongly believe we need to make this shit illegal. Not even slightly kidding.”
Judge for yourself via the clip below.
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