The making of country legend Randy Travis‘ new artificial intelligence (AI)-generated single, “Where That Came From,” will be exclusively explored during a segment of CBS News’ Sunday Morning airing May 5 at 8 a.m. CT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Travis shared the new song with fans today (May 3)—something he hadn’t done since suffering a stroke in 2013. The area of his brain controlling speech and language was severely damaged as a result of the stroke, and doctors believed Travis’ chance of surviving was slim.
Now, Travis is doing well, and with the help of AI, his fans are getting to hear his cherished vocals again.
“There’s just so much chatter about all the negative sides of AI,” says Cris Lacy, Co-Chair & President, Warner Music Nashville. “We started with this concept of ‘What would AI…look like for us?’ And the first thing that came to mind…was we would give Randy Travis his voice back.”
Throughout the special feature, the show’s Lee Cowan takes an inside look at how cutting-edge AI enabled Travis to raise his voice musically once again. He talks with the star and his wife Mary while getting a behind-the-scenes look at how Travis’ longtime producer Kyle Lehning—with the artist’s blessing—crafted a song using his past audio tracks as a starting point. With the help of another singer, a special AI program overlayed Travis’ voice on the new recording. With the Hall of Famer’s input, Lehning carefully molded the AI-created vocal into a tune that felt authentic to Travis.
“It’s not about how it sounds. It’s about how it feels,” notes Lehning. “Him being here and him being able to be a vital part of the decision-making process makes all the difference to me.”
Cowan was there when Travis’ country music friends and family heard the song for the first time.
“It freaked me out.” In 2013 country music star @randytravis suffered a stroke that robbed him of his singing voice. Travis’ longtime producer, Kyle Lehning, gives Lee Cowan an exclusive inside look at how cutting-edge AI enabled Travis to once again raise his voice in song. pic.twitter.com/vxzXQ5k2OK
— CBS Sunday Morning 🌞 (@CBSSunday) May 3, 2024
To listen to Travis’ “Where That Came From,” click here.
