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Timbaland has signed his first-ever AI-generated artist through his newly established entertainment company, Stage Zero.
The Grammy award-winning artist announced the launch of his new brand alongside co-founders Rocky Mudaliar and Zayd Portillo. The artist, known as "TaTa," is driven by Suno AI and other AI-friendly tools under Stage Zero's umbrella. The pink-and-black haired artist is a byproduct of Timbo's new venture, and will pioneer a new genre of music he calls "A-Pop."
“I’m not just producing tracks anymore,” Timbaland said in a statement to Billboard. “I’m producing systems, stories, and stars from scratch."
"[TaTa] is not an avatar," he continued. "She is not a character. TaTa is a living, learning, autonomous music artist built with AI. TaTa is the start of something bigger. She’s the first artist of a new generation. A-Pop is the next cultural evolution, and TaTa is its first icon.”
“The artists of tomorrow won’t just be human, they’ll be IP, code and robotics that are fully autonomous," Mudaliar said. "That’s what we’re building at Stage Zero.”
Despite the music industry's mixed emotions about AI, Timbaland has been a staunch supporter of the advanced technology. During his appearance on The Inner Court podcast in March, Timbo acknowledged the divide in the debate about using AI in music production but said it's the only technology that has a "genuine soul."
"While we frequently discuss AI, I believe it’s the only entity that embodies a genuine soul right now," he said. "It allows for the expression of true feelings, resulting in it coming out beautiful. I feel like right now everything is discombobulated. Which aligns with everything in the world. Ain’t no song right now—and y’all gotta admit—that’s grabbing you. Ain’t no theme song for people’s [lives].”
Look out for new music from TaTa coming soon.