Westlife has used artificial intelligence to release a song entirely in Mandarin.
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The Flying With Out Wings boy band have embraced AI in a bid to make it in China, and they have worked on a cover of Jason Zhang s 2016 hit Love + Courage using teaching software Kogou AIK.
"The fan response from us singing The Ordinary Road in Mandarin was truly overwhelming and this just felt like it could be another fun thing to do for our Chinese fans," the group said in a statement.
"It took months to get it right as we wanted it to be the perfect reflection of our voices and we are thrilled with the final version.
"It's hugely exciting. We are delighted it is one of Jason Zhang's songs as we performed with him on a previous tour. We hope our Chinese fans love it!"
The quartet - Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan - didn't actually sing on the track, which was created using the world's first multilingual AI singing technology to sound like them.
However, they were still heavily involved in the creative process, which resulted in the song being streamed more than a million times in its first week.
"Since the release of their album Wild Dreams in 2021, Westlife have continued to deepen their connection with China and Tencent Music Entertainment," Tencent Music Entertainment said.
"In 2022, Westlife took their love for their Chinese fans to new heights by deeply participating in Tencent Music Entertainment Group s annual non-profit program If Music Has a Shape, demonstrating their love for their Chinese fans through the campaign.
"This ongoing mutual dedication is why we have chosen Westlife as the first international artist to collaborate with to release AI music.
"We hope to use AI technology to bring Westlife 'a bit closer' to their fans in China.
"This aligns perfectly with Tencent Music Entertainment s corporate mission of creating endless possibilities with music and technology."
Australian Associated Press
