Westlife just made waves in the international music scene by using artificial intelligence (AI) to release a song in Mandarin.
Fans were excited to hear the quartet’s rendition of the 2016 Jason Zhang hit, “Love + Courage.” However, the Irish hitmakers— Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, and Shane Filan—didn’t actually sing on the track. It was created using the software Kogou AIK, the world’sfirst multilingual AI singing technology.
The “Fool Again” singers were thrilled to share the new track with their Chinese fans. “The fan response from us singing 'The Ordinary Road' in Mandarin was truly overwhelming and this just felt like it could be another fun thing to do for our Chinese fans,” they said in a statement.
Despite the track being completely AI-generated, Westlife was deeply involved in the creative process and was also fully involved in the final version. The single was released on June 25 and garnered more than a million streams in its first week.
“It took months to get it right as we wanted it to be the perfect reflection of our voices and we are thrilled with the final version. It’s hugely exciting. We hope our Chinese fans love it!”
The group collaborated with Tencent Music Entertainment (TME), the label behind Kougou Music’s AI technology. Reports said that the technology can completely imitate a person’s voice just after reading or singing a few lines. It also enables users to sing and record songs in 10 languages and 15 Chinese dialects including English, Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, and Hokkien.
Westlife has fostered a strong relationship with China and TME since the release of their “Wild Dreams” album in 2021. They also took part in the company’s annual non-profit program the following year and showed a deep love for their Chinese fans throughout the “If Music Has a Shape” campaign.
“This ongoing mutual dedication is why we have chosen Westlife as the first international artist to collaborate with to release AI music,” TME said in a statement.
“We hope to use AI technology to bring Westlife ‘a bit closer’ to their fans in China. This aligns perfectly with Tencent Music Entertainment's corporate mission of ‘creating endless possibilities with music and technology.'"
For updates on Westlife's tour activities and new singles, follow them on Instagram.
