Timbaland Wants You To Meet His New AI Artist "TaTa"
Producer launches AI singer and real-life backlash ensues
Timbaland has a new artist that he can’t wait for you to meet! The producer, known for his work with Jay-Z, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly Furtado, is working with a young, cute, female singer…who isn’t human.
Meet TaTa.
The AI-generated singer is the inaugural "artist" from Timbaland’s new AI company Stage Zero and Suno. The producer describes it (her?) as a "living, learning, autonomous music artist" and he envisions a whole new genre he calls “A‑Pop”.
While the music industry continues to struggle with finding and developing new talent, one of the biggest producers of all time is more interested in making artists—especially female voices—less unique and more replaceable.
Am I the only one who thinks it’s creepy that grown men are controlling the avatar of a teenage Asian girl?
What’s funny to me, is that men in the music industry love to complain about female artists. There’s always an excuse, especially in hip-hop, about why a female artist shouldn’t be signed or worked with. They’re so hard to work with. They always need hair and makeup. They’re too expensive. They have so much drama!
With AI singers, these same men don’t ever need to engage with a real human woman ever again. Like puppet masters, they can make TaTa sing, perform, act, and do whatever they want— without worrying about her rights or feelings! What could go wrong?
Speaking of rights, who owns the intellectual property? Does TaTa belong to Timbaland or is she open source for everyone to possess?
And what about her music? The music has to be derived from somewhere. Recently, producers have accused Timbaland of stealing their beats to train the Suno platform.
Music copyright is tricky enough dealing with and the law is simply not equipped for AI yet. Expect more real-life lawsuits to follow. Even colleagues like Jermaine Dupri and Young Guru aren’t feeling it.
The saddest part about this, is that Timbaland is an OG. He has money, platinum hits and a legacy as one of the most successful hip-hop producers of all time. In 2024, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Timbaland secured a huge bag from a tech company…So fuck them kids.
Instead of helping young artists—actual humans—and giving them opportunities, guidance, and resources, he wants to become the next Black Mirror episode.
Can someone just hit “delete”?