Karylle asks public to support living artists amid rise of AI music

Singer-host Karylle has urged the public to support living artists as artificial intelligence-generated music continues to spread online, including unauthorized covers of popular songs.

Karylle made the call during the recent episode of “It’s Showtime” after she was treated to a birthday surprise. The singer-host was requested to sing, which she took as an opportunity to recall some of her old songs.

She recalled her version of “Kay Tagal Kitang Hinintay,” which she recorded with Sam Tsui. The song was originally popularized by Filipino rock band Sponge Cola.

“’Yung isa naman naming kinanta, ‘Kay Tagal Kitang Hinintay.’ This is a version I did with Sam Tsui, a YouTube star in LA, and of course, it’s from the band Spongecola. Nagkalat ang AI cover… Sabi ko, ‘Wait lang, may cover din ako niyan, na version. Sabi ko, kailangang i-reclaim,’” Karylle said.

The “It’s Showtime” host noted that AI-generated covers sometimes overshadow official recordings by real artists.

“Syempre ’di ba, gusto naman nating ang talagang lumago ay ’yung Philippine music industry. Kaya please support ’yung mga artist na buhay and in front of you,” she emphasized.

Karylle’s remarks come amid growing concerns within the music industry over the impact of artificial intelligence on artists’ rights and revenue. 

Just recently, French musician Sylvain Amazir Hernandez — best known as DJ Mogo — made headlines after allegations that his viral song “Hawak Mo ang Beat” was AI-generated. 

DJ Mogo denied the allegations. However, he stressed that the singer’s identity will remain a secret. /ra