Timbaland's New Artist Is Young, Photogenic — and Not Human
TaTa is intended to be the first of many personas launched by the company, and the co-founders have dreams of the characters becoming virtual influencers and even starring in movies and TV shows. 'Ultimately what Tim's here to do is to pioneer a new genre of music — A-pop, artificial pop,' says Mudaliar, who originally met with Timbaland to discuss a documentary on his career. TaTa will maintain a social media presence, with music videos generated by various AI video tools.
More from Rolling Stone
Timbaland's AI Reinvention: 'God Presented This Tool to Me'
AI Music Is More Realistic Than Ever: Meet Suno's New Model
Timbaland Embraces AI Music Production, Announces Partnership with Start-Up Suno
TaTa and other potential artists from the company will have their music created via a collaborative process between human creators and the AI music platform Suno. (Timbaland is a creative adviser to that company, but Stage Zero is entirely independent of Suno.) Timbaland and Portillo have developed a workflow where they upload Timbaland demos created by conventional means to the platform, have Suno extrapolate upon them, and then insert human-written lyrics. TaTa's voice first appeared a Suno generation that caught Timbaland's ear: 'It came to a point where I'm like, 'Yo, this voice, it's amazing,'' the producer says. He's able to capture and reuse that specific voice via the platform's Personas feature, introduced last October.
'We have these stacks of music that needed to be finished,' Portillo says. 'And then it just so happened that the TaTa ones were just getting finished faster. There was just something about those songs that were just like. 'Man, this just flows.''
Stage Zero arrives as the music industry and artists continue to wage legal and cultural war against AI music tools. Major labels have filed massive lawsuits against Suno and competitor Udio over their use of copyrighted material in training data, although recent reports suggest settlement talks are underway. Artists including Billie Eilish and Stevie Wonder have signed open letters denouncing AI as a threat to human creativity.
Timbaland and Portillo have suggested the backlash will die down, and Mudaliar agrees. 'It's gonna be a bit of a battle,' he says, 'but it's not going anywhere…. We were thinking about the example of the influencer itself and how ridiculous that might've sounded 10 years ago, where we're like, 'Nah, there's no way YouTubers can be bigger than actors.' And now they're the biggest stars in the world.'
Best of Rolling Stone
The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs
All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Robinhood Launches Tokenized US Stocks, ETFs for EU Customers, Partners with Arbitrum
Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) is one of the high profit margin stocks to buy now. On June 30, Robinhood announced the launch of new tokens that will enable its European Union/EU customers to trade over 200 US stocks and ETFs. This includes popular companies like NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT). These commission-free tokens can be traded around the clock, 5 days a week. Robinhood also plans to expand this offering to include tokens linked to stocks of privately held companies. The tokens are being issued through a partnership with the blockchain firm Arbitrum, though Robinhood intends to eventually develop its own Layer 2 blockchain to support 24/7 trading and self-custody. A successful business person confidently managing their finances on a mobile device. Tokenized equities blend traditional finance with crypto-like trading and are gaining traction among international investors. While these tokens could alter the securities investing landscape, they currently face a lack of clear regulatory guidelines in the US. Robinhood Markets Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) operates a financial services platform in the US that allows users to invest in stocks, ETFs, American depository receipts, options, gold, and cryptocurrencies. While we acknowledge the potential of HOOD as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Monday.com Releases 2024 ESG Report, Highlights Inclusivity, Responsible AI, Sustainable Growth
Ltd. (NASDAQ:MNDY) is one of the best up and coming stocks to invest in now. On June 26, released its 2024 Environment, Social, and Governance/ESG Report. This annual report outlines the company's efforts towards building a more inclusive, responsible, and sustainable future, and also details its ESG goals for 2025. The report noted that SHANITA, which is a nonprofit assisting 300+ children in an underserved East African region, used the platform to centralize operations, which led to an up to 40% improvement in educational outcomes and over 30% reduction in preventable illness. also formalized a global Inclusion strategy, integrating inclusivity across the organization with expanded data collection and measurable goals. Software engineers collaborating on a project while seated in a shared workspace. Additionally, the company launched a Responsible AI Program focused on transparency, user control, and adherence to enterprise-grade privacy and zero-retention standards for its AI capabilities. deepened its partnership with Watershed to improve carbon footprint measurement. In 2024, the company's total emissions per dollar of revenue decreased. For community efforts, 'Monday for Nonprofits' now supports 19,523 active accounts, which is a 45% increase from the previous year. Ltd. (NASDAQ:MNDY) develops software applications in the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the UK, and internationally. While we acknowledge the potential of MNDY as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Days of Our Lives Recap: Xander and Maggie Find Common Ground
Days of Our Lives Recap: Xander and Maggie Find Common Ground originally appeared on Daytime Confidential. On today's Days of Our Lives recap: Brady Pub: Brady and Rachel arrive and join Sarah. Rachel wishes her a happy fourth of July and is shocked to hear she is Sarah's favorite patient. Her mommy tells her she's an acquired taste. The adults hem and haw before Rachel she heads back to help Roman with breakfast. Sarah asks about Rachel and Brady swears her to secrecy before telling her about what happened when she saw Johnny the night of EJ's shooting. She is horrified for Rachel as children need stability to thrive. Brady thinks they are no longer only speaking about Rachel. Sarah thinks back to win she passed Victoria off as Rex' child and wishes Xander never found out the truth. Brady says Xander loves Victoria with all his heart. Sarah worries as Xander's anger hurts the folks he loves the most. Brady brings up his strained relationship with Kristen and how it has played hell with Rachel. He doesn't want to see the same thing happen to Victoria for the same reasons. He says he and Kristen found a way to move forward as a team and thinks she and Xander should do the same. Just then, Rachel returns and they all begin to eat breakfast. Kiriakis Mansion: Xander arrives to see Victoria and runs into Maggie. He has a stuffed dog with him, but Maggie says his daughter is now deathly afraid of dogs. He grouses about the changes in her when he's not around before Maggie says she can't let him see his daughter because she's sleeping. Xander asks if he can wait and Maggie agrees but tries to leave the room. Xander stops her and accuses her of voting for EJ to take over the hospital. Maggie says she hates Xander's actions but not him. Because of her love for Victor, she will never give up on him. She tells him never to question her loyalty to Victor and says she voted for him – and then calls him a jackass. She says nothing has changed between the two of them since he beat the fool out of his brother. Xander pushes back but then says he and Philip have found a way to work together moving forward. Maggie encourages him to do the same with Sarah so they can provide stability for their daughter. Xander says he intends to provide Victoria stability once he's granted full custody. Maggie thinks Xander is delusional as no judge would grant such a thing. Xander reminds Maggie of all Sarah's lying, stealing and cheating to get what she wants. If Sarah wants war, he's ready to fight. Maggie suggests he take the high road and create a solution that allows he and Sarah to work together. She reminds Xander how much he and Sarah, both love each other and the opportunity they have to make things right. Just then, they hear Victoria's cries on the monitor. Xander and Maggie hold hands, and he goes upstairs to hang with his daughter. Hernandez House: Guncle Leo is doting over Baby Boy Choi and begging him to sleep. Javi arrives home and they quietly chat about the things he got for the baby. Leo wonders how long the baby will be staying. He says they've got the baby until social services make their next move. Leo asks about the mother, but Javi says the point of the drop off program is the anonymity of the mother. Leo notes what a difficult decision it must have been. Leo mentions his experience with delivering Nicole's baby but Javi notes that wasn't exactly a great situation. Leo agrees but still notes babies love him and he loves to watch them. That being said, he wonders if staying with him and Javi is the best start for the young boy. He knows Rafe and Javi will be good influences on the boy but is not so sure about himself. Leo mentions his checkered past and childhood traumas. Javi stops him and says everything will be just fine. Leo asks again how long they will be in possession of the baby boy. Javi hesitates before saying he's getting credentialed to be a foster parent in case they need to keep the little one with them for an extended time. Leo gets it and says he's on board to do right by the baby. Javi hopes someone is doing right by the baby's mother. Sophia's Digs: Sophia tosses and turns as she thinks about the traumatic birth the night before. She jumps awake and realizes she is no longer pregnant. Mama Choi calls and Sophia lies about being tired from the baby kicking and agrees to see her upon her return. She then calls someone (Melinda?) and makes a plan to meet up. Horton Square: Tate runs into Holly and have a seat. He asks if she thinks they can start over. She's not certain they can start from scratch, but Tate wants to give it a shot. They agree to take it slow, and he asks her on a date. When Sophia enters the square, she sees the couple holding hands. He asks if she wants to go tomorrow night, but she says she and Arianna Grace have to go to Senior Lake Week. Holly says he should join but Tate says it's probably not a great idea as Sophia's due date looms. Tate selfishly says he could go on the trip as he has a phone and will only be an hour away. Holly smiles at being prioritized and Tate says he's certain Sophia will be fine. Park: Sophia meets up with Melinda who immediately pulls her into a comforting hug. She can't believe Sophia went through something so traumatic by herself. Sophia thinks she is ok physically. Melinda reminds her that she is her lawyer and confidentiality is in place. Sophia explains she gave birth in her room because everything was happening so fast and didn't think she had time to call anyone. Melinda asks for more details and Sophia says she pulled up a YouTube video which told her how to do everything but cut the cord. Melinda's reaction lays somewhere between impressed and mortified. She admits she is relieved everything went fairly well. Sophia is in tears when she talks about dropping the baby off at the fire station. She knows she did the right things as both Tate and her mother would have wanted to keep the baby once they saw him and without an adoptive family in place. Melinda wants to get her examined by a doctor, but Sophia is having none of it. Melinda says they can go to a clinic outside of town and won't take no for an answer. Sophia is frantic as she wonders what in the world, she's going to tell her mother and Tate. Melinda says to leave it to her as she has a plan. Sophia worries her mother will find out and Melinda says she'll cover the cost, so they don't have to go through her insurance. Endings Sarah and Xander run into each other in Horton Square. She notices the stuffed dog and Xander realizes he looks silly. She says she is more shocked he doesn't have it holding a Scottish flag. He says he kept it since Victoria is now terrified of dogs. He says he's going shopping for a teddy bear because making Victoria happy is all that matters. Holly greets her grandmother, and Maggie notes her good mood. Holly says she and Tate are back together and Maggie is thrilled. That being said, she wants Holly to be careful as the baby could change everything. Javi thanks Leo for being on board with the baby and they kiss. Just then, Baby Boy Choi cries and the duo comforts him. Javi looks longingly at a picture on his phone of him holding the baby letting us know there is more to this story. Tate, Rachel and Brady are at the penthouse hanging out and chatting about the breakfast at the pub. They decide to take a short nap before the impending parade. With that, Rachel exits. Brady asks Tate how it's going. Tate says he feels a little guilty because he and Holly have gotten back together and worries how Sophia will react. Sophia pulls up the fake baby bump in front of the mirror. Keep checking back for the latest Days of Our Lives recaps! This story was originally reported by Daytime Confidential on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
