With some help from artificial intelligence, country music star , celebrated for his timeless hits like 害羞草研究所淔orever and Ever, Amen害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淚 Told You So,害羞草研究所� has his voice back.

In July 2013, Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy, a virus that attacks the heart, and . The Country Music Hall of Famer had to relearn how to walk, spell and read in . A limits his ability to speak 害羞草研究所� it害羞草研究所檚 why his wife Mary Travis assists him in interviews. It害羞草研究所檚 also why he hasn害羞草研究所檛 released new music in over a decade, until now.

which released Friday, is a rich acoustic ballad amplified by Travis害羞草研究所� immediately recognizable, soulful vocal tone.

Cris Lacy, Warner Music Nashville co-president, approached Randy and Mary Travis and asked: 害羞草研究所満π卟菅芯克鶛What if we could take Randy害羞草研究所檚 voice and recreate it using AI?,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Mary Travis told The Associated Press over Zoom last week, Randy smiling in agreement right next to her. 害羞草研究所淲ell, we were all over that, so we were so excited.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淎ll I ever wanted since the day of a stroke was to hear that voice again.害羞草研究所�

Lacy tapped developers in London to create a proprietary AI model to begin the process. The result was two models: One with 12 vocal stems (or song samples), and another with 42 stems collected across Travis害羞草研究所� career 害羞草研究所� from 1985 to 2013, says Kyle Lehning, Travis害羞草研究所� longtime producer. Lacy and Lehning chose to use 害羞草研究所淲here That Came From,害羞草研究所� a song written by Scotty Emerick and John Scott Sherrill that Lehning co-produced and held on to for years. He believed it could best articulate the humanity of Travis害羞草研究所� idiosyncratic vocal style.

害羞草研究所淚 never even thought about another song,害羞草研究所� Lehning said.

Once he input the demo vocal (sung by James Dupree) into the AI models, 害羞草研究所渋t took about five minutes to analyze,害羞草研究所� says Lehning. 害羞草研究所淚 really wish somebody had been here with a camera because I was the first person to hear it. And it was stunning, to me, how good it was sort of right off the bat. It害羞草研究所檚 hard to put an equation around it, but it was probably 70, 75% what you hear now.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淭here were certain aspects of it that were not authentic to Randy害羞草研究所檚 performance,害羞草研究所� he said, so he began to edit and build on the recording with engineer Casey Wood, who also worked closely with Travis over a few decades.

The pair cherrypicked from the two models, and made alterations to things like vibrato speed, or slowing and relaxing phrases. 害羞草研究所淩andy is a laid-back singer,害羞草研究所� Lehning says. 害羞草研究所淩andy, in my opinion, had an old soul quality to his voice. That害羞草研究所檚 one of the things that made him unique, but also, somehow familiar.害羞草研究所�

His vocal performance on 害羞草研究所淲hat That Came From害羞草研究所� had to reflect that fact.

害羞草研究所淲e were able to just improve on it,害羞草研究所� Lehning says of the AI recording. 害羞草研究所淚t was emotional, and it害羞草研究所檚 still emotional.害羞草研究所�

Mary Travis says the 害羞草研究所渉uman element,害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所渢he people that are involved害羞草研究所� in this project, separate it from more nefarious uses of AI in music.

害羞草研究所淩andy, I remember watching him when he first heard the song after it was completed. It was beautiful because at first, he was surprised, and then he was very pensive, and he was listening and studying,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淎nd then he put his head down and his eyes were a little watery. I think he went through every emotion there was, in those three minutes of just hearing his voice again.害羞草研究所�

Lacy agrees. 害羞草研究所淭he beauty of this is, you know, we害羞草研究所檙e doing it with a voice that the world knows and has heard and has been comforted by,害羞草研究所� she says.

害羞草研究所淏ut I think, just on human terms, it害羞草研究所檚 a very real need. And it害羞草研究所檚 a big loss when you lose the voice of someone that you were connected to, and the ability to have it back is a beautiful gift.害羞草研究所�

They also hope that this song will work to educate people on the good that AI can do 害羞草研究所� not the fraudulent activities that so frequently make headlines. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e hoping that maybe we can set a standard,害羞草研究所� Mary Travis says, where credit is given where credit is due 害羞草研究所� and artists have control over their voice and work.

Last month, over 200 artists submitted by the Artist Rights Alliance non-profit, calling on tech companies, developers, platforms, digital music services and platforms to stop using AI 害羞草研究所渢o infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.害羞草研究所� Artists who co-signed included , Miranda Lambert, , , Peter Frampton, , Smokey Robinson and J Balvin.

So, now that 害羞草研究所淲here That Came From害羞草研究所� is here, will there be more original Randy Travis songs in the future?

害羞草研究所淭here may be others,害羞草研究所� says Mary Travis. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檒l see where this goes. This is such a foreign territory. There害羞草研究所檚 likely more on the horizon.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淲e do have other tracks,害羞草研究所� says Lacy, but Warner Music is being as selective. 害羞草研究所淭his isn害羞草研究所檛 a stunt, and it害羞草研究所檚 not a parlor trick,害羞草研究所� she added. 害羞草研究所淚t was important to have a song worthy of him.害羞草研究所�

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