Musicians Cite AI and Scams in Push for Rawer Sound
A new wave of artists rejects polished production to reclaim authenticity, citing a surge in digital fakes and industry fraud.
By Bianca Herrera ·
The music industry faces a crisis of trust as artists and fans struggle to distinguish genuine work from digital fabrication. Twisted Teens frontman Caspian Hollywell captured the sentiment in a recent track titled "Is it real?" The song reflects a widespread anxiety about the current state of popular music. Hollywell asked the question in a voice described as disheveled and pleading, suggesting that the act of making music feels like a test of belief.
This uncertainty stems from a rise in perceived fraud within the mainstream. The source notes that pop music, which still fills stadiums and streaming playlists, is riddled with stories of chicanery. Specific issues include emerging stars benefiting from plagiarism or nepotism, viral successes that are rigged, and faked musical identities. Counterfeit vinyl and the Rolling Stones using de-aging technology in a video have further fueled the sense of chaos. The result is an environment that feels messy and difficult to navigate for listeners.
In response, a group of artists is turning to raw, confrontational sounds and DIY methodologies. These musicians are gaining acclaim partly because they are fighting to preserve the soul of music against what one observer called the black hole of AI slop. The group includes Twisted Teens, Westside Cowboy, Mandy, Indiana, underscores, and GENA. These acts favor punky retro garage sounds, noise rock, and self-dismantling hyperpop over polished production. Hollywell stated that while audiences can like or hate the band, they cannot say the music is not real.
Debate over authenticity in music has a long history. Nearly half a century ago, guitarist Ry Cooder caused a stir by recording his 1979 album Bop Till You Drop using digital technology. It was the first time a major label artist used a computerized system to achieve a cleaner sound than analog tape. Critics feared digital recording would kill music's authentic feel by eliminating the ambiance of the room. Cooder later admitted that while the digital master was accurate, the final product sounded thin and cold.
A different controversy erupted in the 1990s involving Paula Abdul. Session singer Yvette Marine accused Abdul and her producers of using computers to create a composite voice for the hit Opposites Attract. Marine claimed the track blended her guide vocal with Abdul's. Although Marine lost her lawsuit, the incident sparked a campaign for real music. Critic Simon Reynolds defended Abdul as a showbiz artist devoted to sleek construction, though he conceded her music lacked resonance.
Historical patterns show that every new technology triggers similar fears. In 1929, a Christian Science Monitor correspondent encouraged listeners to accept radio music as a true miniature of live events. In 1969, Washington Post critic William C. Woods called the Woodstock album and film a treasure and a fraud due to audio fidelity issues and editing. Hugh Barker and Yuval Taylor identified three types of authenticity in their 2007 book Faking It: representational, cultural, and personal. These categories set the rules for how artists prove their work is genuine.
Current concerns extend beyond recording techniques to social and technological shifts. The holograms in ABBA Voyage have been beloved by crowds since 2022, echoing the comfort listeners found in Bing Crosby's radio broadcasts in 1947. The public often adjusts to new innovations, finding pleasure in the immediacy of the product. Few listeners now question the verity of Donna Summer's synthesizer-heavy disco or the fact that The Monkees did not always play their instruments in the studio.
The debate continues as new tools serve both the profits and pleasures of pop. Social factors also feed the conversation, with artists crossing lines of identity while trying out new tools. The current tone of the discourse feels more urgent than in previous decades. Lionel Trilling suggested in a 1972 lecture that the pursuit of the real self may have gone too far. Today, that pursuit drives a new wave of musicians to prove their work is real through raw performance and confrontational styles.
