Why I can’t bring myself to hate this AI-generated song
▼ Summary
– The author generally dislikes AI-generated music but finds 1010Benja’s song “Semiramis’ Dream” enjoyable and infectious, noting it lacks typical Suno giveaways.
– Benja openly uses generative AI on his EP, combining his own vocals and lyrics with Suno in a repetitive process of feeding, editing, and layering hundreds of times.
– The AI-generated choir in the song is camouflaged by hyperpop-style processing, making its origins less obvious to listeners.
– Benja acknowledges the ethical and environmental costs of AI but feels forced to use it due to financial struggles, as he cannot afford real musicians like a children’s choir.
– The author remains skeptical of AI art overall but concedes that Benja’s hands-on approach shows Suno can produce more than generic “slop.”
I’ve never claimed AI has no role in music. I appreciate artists like Holly Herndon who push boundaries with it. But for the most part, generative AI music feels painfully dull, especially what comes out of Suno. So it’s strange to admit that I actually enjoy 1010Benja’s “Semiramis’ Dream.”
Benja makes no apologies for using generative AI on his latest EP, Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose… The other tracks don’t quite match the strength of his 2024 release Ten Total, but the opener is a different story. “Semiramis’ Dream” bursts forward with a jungle rhythm and Benja’s unmistakably human voice leading the charge.
You might not immediately guess this track came from Suno. It avoids the usual telltale signs. Even the most obvious AI element, a choir of backup vocalists, blends naturally into the song’s hyperpop-inspired, rapid-fire edits. Processed, artificial vocals are common in modern pop, and by leaning into that uncanny quality, Benja hides the song’s origins.
But he isn’t trying to deceive anyone. In an interview with Hearing Things, Benja explained his process:
“My friend Patrick Holder did the beat. I recorded the vocals. Then we fed Suno the elements, settled on something, brought it out, edited it on Ableton, and then put it back into Suno. So when you look in Deezer, it marks the song as AI-generated. We’re not hiding it. We don’t feel any shame about it.”
That process sets Benja apart from most Suno output. He wrote the lyrics, sang the vocals, and worked with collaborators on the music. Then he fed that into Suno, took the result, edited it in Ableton, added layers, and repeated the cycle hundreds of times for “Semiramis’ Dream.”
Benja says he’s agnostic about his tools, but he’s aware of the ethical problems with generative AI. He acknowledges the environmental damage but takes a bleak view: greedy corporations can’t be stopped, and the AI genie won’t go back in the bottle. “The good guy doesn’t win this one,” he says.
“The only reason I’m using gen AI at all is because my visions are currently far beyond my means. People have been asking me, ‘Did you use gen AI for this EP?’ I’m like, ‘No, I hired a professional children’s choir.’ What are we talking about? I haven’t paid rent last month, and I won’t pay rent this month. I don’t know where the fuck I’m gonna be.”
It’s hard not to sympathize. Despite getting a coveted Best New Music nod from Pitchfork for Ten Total, Benja is a struggling artist who has faced homelessness.
Still, it’s fair to note that most of what makes “Semiramis’ Dream” work could have been done without AI. He couldn’t afford a real children’s choir, but the AI version isn’t especially convincing anyway. Layered performances and clever vocal processing could have achieved a similar result.
1010Benja hasn’t won me over to AI art. I remain deeply skeptical. But he has shown that Suno, in the right hands, doesn’t have to be a slop machine.
(Source: The Verge)