‘AI Is Without a Soul’ - Tems Speaks on the Future of Music

Nigerian singer Tems has sparked conversations after sharing her thoughts on artificial intelligence and the growing use of technology in music.

Speaking during a recent conversation with British singer Kate Nash for Dazed, Tems explained why she has always preferred the natural sound of her voice over heavily processed vocals. The Grammy-winning singer revealed that producers often used Auto-Tune on her voice, but she never liked the result because it made her sound “super robotic.”

According to Tems, she prefers hearing the imperfections in her vocals, including the cracks and little mistakes that make a performance feel human. Her comments became even more direct when the conversation turned to artificial intelligence.

“AI is without a soul. I want to hear wrong notes and emotion,” Tems said.

For the singer, imperfections are not necessarily flaws. Instead, they can give music its identity, emotion, and authenticity. Tems also explained that she discovered her own sound when she became more honest with herself and stopped worrying about making music that would please everyone.

Her comments have since sparked a wider debate among music lovers about AI in the creative industry, with many now asking whether technological perfection could eventually come at the cost of the human emotion that makes music special.