AI Song Contest returns in 2021

The international AI Song Contest is returning in 2021 for its second year, with 49 teams from more than 20 countries currently working on their entries.

The contest encourages creative teams to experiment with artificial intelligence and data as part of their songwriting process. The winning entry is selected by members of the public, as well as a jury of selected judges including artist and composer Imogen Heap.

This year, the contest is organised by Karen van Dijk, Anna Huang, Carol Reiley, Rujing Huang, Hendrik Vincent Koops, Rebecca Leger, Ryan Groves, Ashley Burgoyne and Ed Newton-Rex.

The deadline for entries is May 18, with entries published and available for public voting from June 1. The winning team will be crowned in July. Full details can be found through the contest’s website.

Australian team Uncanny Valley won the contest last year with their song ‘Beautiful The World’, which was inspired by the Black Summer bushfires and used audio samples of koalas, kookaburras and Tasmanian devils.

“The competition brought together the top minds in this field to explore the idea of what can be achieved when musicians rage with the machines,” Uncanny Valley producer Caroline Pegram said last year.

“The fact that we were able to use technology to blend in the message of the devastation of the bushfires in Australia early this year, clearly struck a chord.”