Drake and The Weeknd‘s “Heart On My Sleeve” artificial intelligence-generated track will not be eligible for Grammy consideration after all.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. took to Instagram early Friday (September 8) to clear up the confusion surrounding Ghostwriter’s song and explained a few reasons why it’s ultimately ineligible.
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“Let me be extra clear, even though it was written by a human creator, the vocals were not legally obtained, the vocals were not cleared by the label or the artist, and the song is not commercially available,” he explained. “And because of that, it’s not eligible.
“I take this stuff very seriously. It’s all complicated and it’s moving really quickly and I’m sure things are going to continue to have to evolve and change. But please, do not be confused. The Academy is here to support and advocate and protect and represent human artists and human creators, period.”
Watch Mason Jr.’s statement below:
“Heart On My Sleeve” is composed and arranged by Ghostwriter, who processed vocals via AI to resemble the aforementioned singers, but without their actual approval.
The song was posted to YouTube in mid-April. Soon after, it became available to stream on Apple, Tidal, Deezer and Spotify, the last of which reportedly racked up over 630,000 listens.
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Despite its controversial presence in the music space, the song did well when it was released this spring and has continued making the rounds despite being taken down multiple times.
Harvey Mason Jr. caused a stir earlier this week when he originally told the New York Times “Heart On My Sleeve” was eligible before switching course. “It’s absolutely eligible because it was written by a human,” he reportedly said.
A representative of Ghostwriter also confirmed that the song in question was submitted for Grammy consideration in the Best Rap Song and Song of the Year categories — both of these reward writing and composing rather than performance.
Upon hearing news of the track’s eligibility earlier this week, Young Guru, who has spoken out vehemently opposing the use of AI in music in the past, voiced his disgust with “Heart On My Sleeve” being considered for potential awards.
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“HATE TO SAY I TOLD Y’ALL BUT I TOLD Y’ALL,” he wrote to social media. “NOW THIS COULD BE UP FOR A GRAMMY. SMH.”
