Paul Kelly has watched the music industry transform over decades, but the rise of AI is one change even the legendary Australian songwriter isn’t quite sure what to make of.
The legendary artist appeared on stage at BIGSOUND in Brisbane on Tuesday to talk all things songwriting, and as he told Rolling Stone AU/NZ in an interview after the appearance, there is no playbook on how to write a song.
“I know it sounds weird, but I don’t really know how to write a song,” Kelly said. “It’s not like a craft… it’s not like that with songs, you know? You turn up for work and try and try, and nothing happens, most of the time.”
Kelly was candid on the subject while at the Fortitude Music Hall too, saying that most of the songs he writes simply start with him “singing sounds”.
“I’m always trying to match those vowel sounds because that’s obviously I must be singing it that way because it’s something feels like it’s working,” he told ABC’s Sarah Kanowski on stage, “Often I end up going with words that haven’t quite matched those vowel sounds, and it always feels like a little bit of a failure or a step down.”
Kelly has seen it all – the shift from vinyls to CDs, the launch of the internet, the rise of streaming – and now, AI in music. He’s cautious, but he remains optimistic, he told Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
“I would say things are never as bad as you think they are, and things are never as good as you think they are,” he said.
“I’m better now with music and songwriting when I first started writing songs… it’s lot’s easier nowadays for young songwriters and bands, wanting just to be able to hear a wide range of music from across all genres and times and eras, and also to be able to make records cheaply. When I first started recording, it was like $1000 a day in the studio and I was terrified.
“These days recordings [are] much cheaper and there’s also ways to connect with people and find like-minded people in your community or new people that like your music.”
As it pertains to AI, Kelly admitted that it feels different to anything that has come before. “I don’t think there’s anything like this that I can compare it to… I think we need some caution. I think it can be dangerous,” he said.
“We don’t know whether it’s gonna be good or bad. I guess I’m a bit of a watcher with these things.
“It’s made me appreciate playing live, you know? I sort of think about it more when we’re playing shows. I think, ‘You can’t AI this, playing music with people.’ It’s not just you playing to these people, these people are connecting to the people around them. There’s a whole sort of ecosystem going on there that AI can’t touch.
“I find writing hard, but I find it very satisfying when you actually come out the other end of it, and you end up with something. So to think that you would try to use something else to help you write, that’s a bit alien to me.”
The deluxe version of Paul Kelly’s Seventy is out now.
From Rolling Stone AU/NZ
