Brit Award-winning singer Jorja Smith’s record label has stated that it wants a share of the royalties for a song it claims was made using an artificial intelligence clone of the artist’s voice.
I Run, by the British dance act Haven, went viral on TikTok in October thanks to smooth soul vocals performed by an uncredited female singer. The track was on course to chart in both the UK and the US before streaming platforms removed it following takedown notices issued by industry bodies alleging that it impersonated another artist and breached copyright.
Although a new version of I Run has been released with different vocals, Smith’s label FAMM believes the song used AI trained on her work and is therefore seeking compensation. In a statement on Instagram, FAMM wrote, “This is not just about Jorja. It is bigger than one artist or one song.”
The label argued that “both versions of the track infringe Jorja’s rights and exploit the work of the songwriters she collaborates with.”
Smith, known for songs such as Be Honest and Little Things, was named Best British Female at the 2019 Brit Awards. Suggesting that fans had been misled by Haven’s track, the label added, “We cannot allow this to become the new normal.”
The creators of the song have admitted using AI during its production. Producer and songwriter Harrison Walker said that the original vocals were his own but were heavily modified using the music-generation tool Suno.
A second producer, Waypoint (real name Jacob Donaghue), confirmed that AI had been used “to give our original vocal a female tone.” Both maintain they wrote and produced the track, even sharing their original computer files with Billboard magazine.
Walker said, “It shouldn’t be any secret that I used AI-assisted vocal processing to transform only my voice for I Run,” adding that he enjoys experimenting with new creative technologies.
Suno has acknowledged training its software on copyrighted material, arguing that this falls under fair use—though it remains unknown whether Smith’s recordings were included. Haven said they merely prompted the software to use “soulful vocal samples.”
While the original track was suspended by the Official Charts Company and the Billboard Charts, the replacement version entered the UK Top 40 last week.
FAMM described the issue as a test case for the music industry’s relationship with AI, warning that AI is expanding at a rapid pace and outpacing regulation. The label said that AI-generated material must be clearly labelled so that listeners can choose whether to engage with it.
Khaborwala/AMJ