“It’s just the ultimate slap in the face now to Dad”: Steve Marriott’s daughter says AI-generated album using his voice is “really messed up”
Steve Marriott’s children are currently fighting back against an AI-created album that is being made with consent from his estate.
The album emulates the vocals of the late Humble Pie and Small Faces singer and guitarist, and is said to be a solo record. It is being made with permission from his third wife, who was married to Marriott for two years prior to his death.
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As formerly reported by Variety, his former bandmates – Kenney Jones (Small Faces) plus Peter Frampton and Jerry Shirley (Humble Pie) – have all signed on to a statement supporting Marriott’s daughter Mollie and her three siblings’ opposition to the release.
Other artists who have shown support include Robert Plant, David Gilmour, Paul Weller, Bryan Adams, Glenn Hughes, and more. Marriott’s children do not form part of his estate as there was no will left in place before his death – which occurred as the result of a house fire – meaning it is run by their stepmother.
Now, speaking to MOJO for its latest print edition, Mollie Marriott says she first heard about the record from Pie drummer, Shirley. She adds, “My brother [Toby] heard it and was really upset. He said, ‘it sounds really messed up, it sounds dead.’ It cut us deep because Georgia On My Mind is a song that my dad used to play at the piano, it was his favourite song. I thought, ‘We really need to really shout about this.’ I reached out to dad’s friends and they were, ‘We back you on this 100 percent.’”
Chris France, MD at Steve Marriott Licensing Ltd, says the idea came from LA-based label, Cleopatra Records. He comments, “We decided to see what transpired from trying out a recording before signing any deal. From what I understand, real musicians were engaged and a singer sang the song. Then Al and machine learning were used to make the track using Steve’s voice. We think it captures him beautifully.”
On the contrary, Mollie Marriott adds, “It’s just the ultimate slap in the face now to Dad. It was bad enough when he was alive and being taken advantage of. This is so offensive to somebody who I feel had the most incredibly alive, raw and soulful vocal – it’s just gonna remove all of that. It’s totally wrong to take someone’s soul away, and try to recreate it, without their consent.”
France continues, “I am well aware of the opposition. As one gets older one often becomes less open to change. The genie is out of the bottle. It cannot be stopped… [his widow] Toni Marriott said, ‘it’s like having Steve back in the room.’ It’s not about the money, it’s about bringing the voice of her husband back from the dead.”
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