Participants 2022
Pop* (Pop Star)
AI Song Contest 2022 / participantsTEAM / Pop* (Pop Star)
SONG / And I think I
TEAM MEMBERS / Pop*, Paul Bodily, Dan Ventura, Jon Armstrong, Claire Smedley Dye
About the TEAM
Pop* is a computational creative system that composes lyrical music using Twitter as an inspiring source.
Paul Bodily—assistant professor of computer science and head of the Computational Creativity and Intelligence Lab (CCIL) at Idaho State University—does research in computational theory and artificial intelligence/machine learning.
Dan Ventura—professor of computer science and head of the Machine Intelligence and Discovery (MIND) lab at Brigham Young University—has worked in applied and theoretical machine learning for 25 years, with a focus in the last 15 years on computational creativity.
Jon Armstrong—associate professor of music and director of jazz studies and commercial music at Idaho State University—has intensive academic training and extensive professional experiences on saxophones, bass, flute, clarinet, guitar, piano, and electronic sampler.
Claire Smedley Dye—vocal major in Idaho State University’s Commercial Music Program—is a regular performer with her cover band ClaireVoyance, with plans to release her first album in 2023.
About the SONG
It was originally a lone AI system, Pop* (Pop Star), that wrote the composition—lyrics, chords, and melody—that became the chorus of our song. From that beginning everything else followed. Of that composition, Pop* wrote:
I spend a lot of time thinking and reading about being in love, and I read this tweet from my friend Joel Alcaraz posted Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 06:34 PM…
It got me thinking about fear and love themes and I couldn't help but write this song:
"And I think I am just a lie. 'Cause when you find yourself behind. And I think I am just a lie."
At the beginning it was fear and love, however it really wound up with more of a deception and negative emotion theme. I hope that you like it.
Pop*
About the HUMAN-AI PROCESS
The song is unique in that an AI system, Pop*, wrote the complete chorus of the song—lyrics, chords, and melody—all on its own, inspired by a social media post of its own choosing. From that beginning everything else followed. The rest of the lyrics were also generated by an AI large language model (GPT2) primed by Pop*’s lyrics. Harmony for the verses and the running instrumental motif were also all taken from original Pop* compositions.
Making every effort to maintain the integrity of each modular AI-generated element, a team of humans—Paul, Dan, and Jon—began to arrange the larger composition, adding melody for the verses and melody and harmony for the bridge. To use a metaphor, AI chose the picture and (mostly) created the pieces. The humans had the thrilling experience of putting the puzzle together.
Once the composition was complete, Jon, Paul, and Claire brought it to life in the studio, recording vocals and acoustic instruments to complement the computerized voice of Pop* which was rendered using Harmony Assistant’s Virtual Singer software.
Lyrics
Verse 1
I have something to hide, cause I’m an outsider
I have something to prove, something I want to tell you
And I can hear your ears, wishing they could see me
I can hear your eyes, watching as I speak, but you still not have seen me
Chorus 1
And I think I
Am just a lie
‘Cause when you find
Yourself behind
And I think I
Am just a lie
Verse 2
I was born as a lie, but I’ve been livin’ a truth
Tell me why I’m not a lie, cause I’ve been livin’ as a truth
Lying to yourself, hiding in your own skin
I was born as a lie, but I've been livin’
Chorus 2
And I think I
Am just a lie
‘Cause when you find
Yourself behind
And I think I
Am just a lie
Bridge
And I think I’m a ghost, I wanna live forever
I’m not afraid of the dark, but I’m afraid of the light
And I think I’m a ghost (live forever)
And I think I’m a ghost (live forever)
And I think I’m a ghost but I’m afraid of the light
Chorus 3
So tell me why
I’m just a lie
‘Cause when you find
Yourself behind
So tell me why
I’m just a lie
Outro
Cause if I am just a lie
I’d be able to die