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Euronews
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Spain set record for first music album to be created entirely with AI
The artificial intelligence revolution never ceases to amaze us. Nowadays it seems it's possible to do almost anything with this technology, but there are still fields in which, although developers have been busy for years, are yet to be fully implemented in society. One of these is music. Electronic songs have been using digitally created sounds for decades. Although there have been numerous tests and all kinds of experiments, the first singer created by artificial intelligence has not yet been verified. Last month Spotify released songs with two AI-generated voices in a first for the streaming platform. The music was made by Spanish artist Pedro Sandoval, a pioneer in the use of this technique in art, film and now music.** The singers are called ZKY-18 and Dirty Marilyn and, even though the sound of their song is reminiscent of many in the electronic genre, their voices are so real that they could perfectly match those of any singer currently recording. It's perhaps not surprising, because it's something they've been working on over the past three years. "Together with Luis Miguel Martinez and Felipe Sandoval, I have created the first two digital voices using artificial intelligence," says Pedro Sandoval, who was one of thefirst visual artists to apply this technique to his work. "They are the first to be verified by Spotify as the first voices created with artificial intelligence," he adds. On this platform you can already listen to songs like 'Con mi mate llegó el sabor', 'La chica en la parada', 'El beso de la mujer araña', 'Chulapo de Madrid' or 'Buscando oro en tu corazón'. These are the first songs that the platform has certified and that have been developed in Spain. Pedro Sandoval organised a big event last Saturday in Madrid where he officially presented the albums to international guests and personalities from the world of music and technology. Pedro Sandoval is an internationally renowned artist, renowned for his innovation in contemporary art and his pioneering use of artificial intelligence as a creative tool. He was born in Venezuela and his talent was evident from childhood, when at the age of six he won the Young Master of the World award in Japan. At the age of 13, he won a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship that allowed him to move to New York and study at Parsons School of Design. Throughout his career, he has exhibited his work in prestigious museums and galleries around the world, establishing himself as one of the most influential figures in art today. Sandoval has been a staunch defender of artificial intelligence in the artistic field, considering it a tool that, when used well, allows for the expansion of creative possibilities without substituting the essence of the artist. Speaking to Euronews, he explains that the value of a work created with AI "depends on the instructions and refinement that the artist applies to the process". In addition to his contribution to digital art, Pedro Sandoval emphasises the importance of cultural education for new generations. He considers it fundamental to rescue the artistic and historical legacy to prevent society from focusing solely on ephemeral trends. He learned from figures such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, which has allowed him to fuse tradition with innovation, positioning himself as one of the most relevant voices in the debate on the future of art. Celebrated US rock band Semisonic, who found international fame with the release of their second album 'Feeling Strangely Fine' in 1998, is pushing back at the White House for using their Grammy-nominated hit song 'Closing Time' off the same album over a social media post that shows a shackled deportee. The White House added the song in a post of a man with his wrists handcuffed to his waist as he is patted down at an airport. The video was captioned with the song's lyrics: 'You don't have to go home but you can't stay here.' 'We did not authorize or condone the White House's use of our song in any way. And no, they didn't ask. The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely,' the band posted on X. Asked about the post Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said 'our entire government clearly is leaning into the message of this president.' US Customs and Border Protection retweeted the White House's post on X with the caption 'It's closing time. We are making America safe again.' The Trump administration shared the video two days after hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members were controversially deported by the White House to a supermax prison in El Salvador. US District Judge James E Boasberg had issued an order temporarily blocking the deportations on Saturday, but lawyers told him there were already two planes with immigrants in the air. Semisonic joins a long list of musicians who have objected to Trump's authorized use of their songs. These include ABBA, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Neil Young, R.E.M., Guns N' Roses, Woodkid and Beyoncé. Sinead O'Connor's estate previously issued Trump with cease-and-desist orders, while Isaac Hayes' estate sued him for 134 counts of copywright infringement. Céline Dion also condemned the use of her song from the Oscar-winning film Titanic, 'My Heart Will Go On', which was used at one of Trump's rallies. Dion's team questioned the song choice, writing: "And really, THAT song?' Another band which added their name to the ever-growing list of artists who have sued Trump over the illegal use of their songs in campaign videos was The White Stripes. Last year, the rock band highlighted the 'flagrant misappropriation' of their hit song 'Seven Nation Army'. Jack White captioned a copy of the legal complaint in an Instagram post with: 'This machine sues fascists.'
Korea Herald
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Ha Chong-hyun was experimental artist before he became Dansaekhwa master
Little-known aspects of Ha's early career get spotlight at Art Sonje Center in Seoul Ha Chong-hyun, 90, is widely known as a master of Dansaekhwa, a Korean genre of monochrome painting, but before that, he was an artist who constantly experimented with his art. His solo exhibition 'Ha Chong-Hyun 5975' sheds light on the master's early works spanning from 1959 to 1975, exploring his use of varied techniques and diverse materials. Amid the influx of Western art, Ha agonized over how to maintain his artistic identity while embracing global art trends. Ha is most popularly known for the so-called 'baeapbeop,' literally meaning "back-pressure technique." His 'Conjunction' series, which the artist embarked on in the 1970s, overturned the concept of painting using canvases made of hemp cloth. Baeapbeop involves pushing thick layers of paint from the back side of the burlap canvas so that the paint oozes through, creating a unique texture on the surface. It is for this technique that he later came to be identified as a Dansaekhwa artist. But the Art Sonje exhibition starts with his early art, from 1959 to 1965, where he used informalism, a global art style that emerged after the Second World War. He drew inspiration from the informalist movement, using it to reflect the chaos and scars of the Korean War (1950-1953). 'He visualized the collective memories of war and social upheaval, laying the foundation for his later experiments with material possibilities and the expansion of painting's boundaries,' according to the museum. A decade later, as the country was swept in with rapid industrialization, Ha began focusing on the social changes driven by urbanization. His 'White Paper on Urban Planning' series demonstrates how he visualized the transformation of cities — the painting 'White Paper on Urban Planning 67' shows horizontal folds in the lower part of the canvas with bold color painting. It is reminiscent of a fast-changing society on the one hand and traditional Korean garments or house on the other, due to the colors that are often seen in traditional Korean objects. It is generally not well-known that Ha was one of the figures who led the establishment of the Korean Avant Garde Association in 1969. The artists in the group aimed to push the boundaries of Korean contemporary art through experimental approaches using everyday materials — from wire to newspaper, plaster and springs, among others. His art from 1969 to 1974 is shown in the 'New Art Movements' section of the exhibition. Coinciding with the exhibition, a lecture entitled 'Ha Chong-Hyun: An Enduring Spirit of Experimentation' by An Kyung, curator of Asian art initiative at the Guggenheim Foundation in New York will take place at Art Sonje Center at 2 p.m., March 22. Some 40 works are on display at the exhibition, running through April 20. The museum is closed on Mondays.
