Someone Used AI to Create a Cover of ‘Celebrity Skin’ Sung by Kurt Cobain
The increasing presence and use of AI to create content will undoubtedly lead to some weird stuff. For example, a version of Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” as sung by an AI Kurt Cobain now exists.
YouTube user FaustoX shared the cover and wrote of it, “This version was made based on a human interpretation, but the voice was synthesized by AI. Many more to come, thanks for looking.”
Listen for yourself, because it’s…uh…something.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2gVF5_IMK0
AI is obviously a still-evolving technology. On occasion, it’s created some very eerily spot-on vocals. This, however, is just not good. Perhaps I’m just not as adventurous as other people, but maybe we can leave Kurt Cobain alone and let the man rest. Also, it’s in especially poor taste to have an AI Cobain cover a Hole song and replace the vocals of his widow, Courtney Love.
Here’s the real version of “Celebrity Skin” as a palette cleanser after that junk. Plus, this track still rules!
Kurt Cobain: 6 Pieces of Memorabilia That Sold Big at Auction
Kurt Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. While he was only on the Earth for 27 years, he left an impact that is still felt today.
Many musicians have talked about the impact of the late Nirvana frontman. Billie Joe Armstrong once said of Cobain, “When someone goes that honestly straight to the core of who they are, what they’re feeling, and was able to kind of put it out there, I don’t know, man, it’s amazing. I remember hearing it when ‘Nevermind’ came out and just thinking, we’ve finally got our Beatles, this era finally got our Beatles, and ever since then it’s never happened again.”
Patti Smith said in 1996 she was happy a generation of young people had Nirvana growing up. She noted, “I didn’t know anything about Kurt’s torments or personal life. I saw the work and the energy, and I was excited by that.”
Surprisingly, Cobain also has a lot of love from the rap community. Complex gathered quotes from some of the biggest rappers of all time about how much they admire Cobain. Jay Z likened Cobain to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who also died at 27 and struggled with substance abuse.
The reach of Cobain has continued as Nirvana is always introduced to new generations. Dave Grohl said during an October 2023 appearance on Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, “What I’ve realized is that kids these days, there’s like a window between the ages of 10 and 13 or maybe 11 and 14, where almost every kid goes through a Nirvana phase.”
This impact is why when Cobain-related items go up for auction, they sell for massive price tags. In the past decade, Cobain memorabilia has seemingly become a subset of the entire celebrity auction market.
Want proof? Check out these six items that sold big at auction.
Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights
