AI has made James Hetfield sing a Seal classic – and it works oddly well

Someone has created an AI song in in which Metallica frontman James Hetfield ‘sings’ Seal’s Kiss From A Rose, and it’s dividing opinion.

The cover – which was posted by YouTube channel AI Playgrounds last month – has been gaining traction in recent days, and currently boasts over 72,000 views at the time of writing.

Of course, we’re more used to Seal’s soulful voice on Kiss From A Rose. But instead, we’re greeted with something notably harsher. To give it its credit, AI has done a fantastic job of replicating Hetfield’s instantly distinguishable vocal style here. Of course, it’s unlikely we’ll ever get a real Hetfield/Seal crossover, but this is a solid offering nonetheless.

As usual, the internet has chimed in, with commenters offering their opinion on the odd soundbite. One person says Kiss From A Rose has been turned into a Nickelback song, while another writes: “The answer to the question no one’s ever asked: what does Papa Het sing in the shower?”

Another says, “Imagine being able to go back in time 20-25 years and trolling the internet with this,” while another jokes, “Yes, I remember when Hetfield sang this on The Voice. He immediately made the judges turn their chairs.”

You can watch the video below. There are also a myriad of other AI covers on the AI Playgrounds channel, including ones of songs by Elton John, Depeche Mode, Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix.

Other artists ‘covering’ tracks on the channel include Hetfield’s former Metallica colleague Dave Mustaine, as well as Freddie Mercury, Kanye West, and The Weeknd. AI has made Mercury cover Plain White T’s’ Hey There Delilah, while West and The Weekend have ‘covered’ Bob Marley‘s Redemption Song and Kevin Lyttle’s Turn Me On, respectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6o7a68BtqI&ab_channel=AIPlaygrounds