Key Takeaways
- Kid Rock revealed he used AI to create the gospel choir on “Heal My Faith,” his collaboration with Eminem, to save time while his background singers were unavailable.
- Bill Maher challenged the decision over lost work for singers, while Kid Rock compared AI to drum machines but acknowledged its dangers and called for regulation “at the highest levels.”
- The track appears on Halfway 2 Jesus and reunites the longtime Detroit friends despite their opposing political views.
Kid Rock has revealed that the gospel choir featured on his collaboration with Eminem, "Heal My Faith," was created using artificial intelligence rather than actual singers.
During an appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, the Detroit rocker explained how he used AI to create the choir vocals on the song from his latest album, Halfway 2 Jesus, sparking a debate with Maher about the technology's impact on musicians.
The conversation began when Maher raised concerns about AI's ability to recreate an artist's sound, suggesting that someone could eventually release a Kid Rock song that would be nearly impossible to distinguish from the real thing.
Kid Rock responded by explaining how he approached two songs on his album differently. For "7 Sins," his collaboration with Lil Wayne, he recruited three background singers and layered their vocals to create a choir.
"How I made the choir was, I had my two female singers, one male background singer, and we kept stacking the part," he explained. "Switching Harmony notes, doing double takes, blah, blah, blah."
However, when it came time to finish "Heal My Faith," Kid Rock decided to take a different approach.
"I sang that [hook] myself. I did the harmonies myself. My singers weren't around," he said. "I'm an impatient guy. It's not about the money of getting the choir, but everything I look in life now is time. How much time do I have?"
Instead of waiting for his singers to become available, Kid Rock turned to AI to generate the gospel choir.
"So I go into AI, I [prompt] the harmony notes, I prompt the, uh, the lead notes, you know, Southern gospel choir, blah, blah, blah," he explained. "I have to do this several times. I put it together. I'm like, I love that. So, the choir on there is AI."
Maher questioned the decision, arguing that using AI eliminated an opportunity for real musicians to contribute to the recording.
Kid Rock pushed back by comparing the technology to drum machines, questioning whether their invention had similarly put drummers out of work.
Still, he acknowledged that artificial intelligence presents challenges that go beyond previous technological advancements in music.
"I know AI is something different," he said. "I always tell people, you know, it's a tool right now. I see the dangers of it."
He also called for strict government oversight of the technology, saying he "1,000% believe it needs to be regulated at the highest levels."
The conversation comes shortly after Kid Rock released Halfway 2 Jesus on Oct. 17, which also happens to be Eminem's birthday.
The collaboration reunited two longtime Detroit artists who have maintained a friendship despite their differing political views. Kid Rock is a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, while Eminem has publicly criticized him.
Eminem previously addressed their collaboration, explaining that it was "Not about choosing sides, just choosing to make music with my old friend."
The two have a musical history dating back to Kid Rock's 1998 song "F-k Off," which featured Eminem. Kid Rock later appeared in the music video for Eminem's 2013 single "Berzerk."
