Gary Kemp uses AI in music video because ‘record companies won’t fund them’
31 January 2025, 10:24
There are ‘no actors’ in his music video – just AI-generated fake London commuters.
Gary Kemp has defended the use of artificial intelligence in his music video, saying that record companies will not fund this type of content.
The Spandau Ballet star, 65, released the video for the track This Destination – featuring fake London commuters generated using AI in a rainy city landscape – on Friday.
While speaking to BBC One morning show BBC Breakfast about his new album This Destination, Kemp said “there’s no actors” in the footage, and it has been created using the lyrics in the song.
He also said: “I wouldn’t have been able to make a video because people just want backstage, behind the scenes and record companies aren’t going to pay for big videos, so just seemed a good opportunity to explore that.”
Kemp said that he would “draw the line”, and “would never dream of writing lyrics with AI or writing music with AI”.
He added: “Art, especially words… we listen to it and because we read it, because we don’t want to feel alone.
“We want to feel there’s someone else out there who has the same issues that we have and has encapsulated it in a poem or in lyric or in book, if it’s a machine.”
When asked about Sir Paul McCartney’s criticism of AI use, Kemp said that he has no interest in generating lyrics as they “come first for me”.
“Other people hopefully will listen to those lyrics and go understand that I’m that person too,” he added.
At the weekend, Sir Paul warned on BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that young artists do not have ownership of their own music, saying “anyone who wants can just rip it off”.
The 82-year-old Beatles star also pleaded with the Government over the AI consultation, which includes plans which could allow AI firms to scrape media companies’ content, unless they specifically opt out.
He said that “if you’re putting through a Bill, make sure you protect the creative thinkers, the creative artists, or you’re not going to have them”.
His words were also backed by Sir Elton John, who told the Sunday Times the “wheels are in motion to allow AI companies to ride roughshod over the traditional copyright laws that protect artists’ livelihoods”.
This marks one of three AI music videos directed by Mike Bennion for Kemp.
As the latest video was released, Bennion said: “Each of Gary’s tracks which I directed videos for have a traveling motif in the lyrics and I echoed that in the visuals, but gave each one its own look.
“This one had a documentary approach. The idea was various people trying to get home on a London night bus. I was fascinated by the AI technology’s ability to render convincing moving lights on glass and through condensation.”
As songwriter and guitarist for Spandau Ballet, Kemp has worked on 10 UK top 10 singles and eight UK top 10 albums, with the band best known for songs such as Gold and UK number one True.
His last album was 2021’s Insolo.
