Grimes Part Ways With Columbia Records After 2 Years, Wholeheartedly Embraces AI
By Fiyin Olowokandi on April 28, 2023 at 6:00 AM EDT
Artistic pop singer Grimes has cut ties with her former record label, Columbia Records.
Originally named Claire Elise Boucher, the songwriter, whose works extend from "lo-fi R&B" to futuristic dance-pop, caught her supporters off-guard after a trusted source revealed that she split from the record label.
However, it seems the singer has devised a plan that would help market her music and generate sales!
Grimes Makes A Grand Exit From Columbia Records
Spending barely less than three years in Columbia Records after getting signed to the label on March 5, 2021, the "Genesis" singer has called it quits.
As reported by Billboard, the singer's longtime manager, Daouda Leonard, confirmed the news of her split from the record label. While her manager provided no reason for her exit, it is unclear what would happen to her forthcoming sixth album, "BOOK 1," which she made while still under the label.
The pop singer seemed excited about the album during her time at Columbia and even took to social media to announce that the project was completed and might be released in two parts.
She tweeted about it on the Bird app: "Album is done. We're mixing. My friend and I perfected the last song in the plastic surgery clinic becauseause they wouldn't let me leave, andlaughedhing that this was the most Hollywood moment of all time. I have 20 songs, so maybe BOOK 1 and BOOK 2? Deciding format/tracklist."
Before making her tweet, she offered a sneak peek into the long-awaited album during her performance at Miami's Ultra Music Festival.
Promoting her other side hustles, she further unveiled her latest venture, ELF.TECH, an app and web-based operating system, as well as, unveiled Grimes Gen 1 Avatars, the first series of her own virtual artificial intelligence avatars.
Before the singer joined Columbia Records, she had released five albums using independent labels. Her albums included "Geidi Primes" and "Halfaxa," which arrived in 2010 on Canadian indie Arbutus Records. While her last three albums – "Visions" (2012), "Art Angels" (2015), and "Miss Anthropocene" (2020) – were released on 4AD.
Notwithstanding that the talented songwriter has parted ways with Columbia Records, she doesn't intend to take a break from music. Being a tech enthusiast, it was no surprise that she took to Twitter over the weekend to voice her support for AI and affirm her departure from the record label.
Using her official Twitter account, the "Shinigami Eyes" singer posted a screenshot of an article that addressed fake hits by Drake and The Weekend, made using A.I. Expressing her thoughts about the matter, she wrote,
"I'll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice. Same deal as I would with any artist I collab with. Feel free to use my voice without penalty. I have no label and no legal bindings."
She added, "I think it's cool to be fused w [SIC] a machine, and I like the idea of open-sourcing all art and killing copyright." As expected, curious fans immediately trooped under her tweet to drop their two cents. One fan inquired about the forthcoming album she previously promoted and raved about.
They asked, "What about the album Grimes was working on"? To which she replied and revealed, "It got held so long I'm bored of it; I'll put it out, but I wanna release the new songs I just made first."
Another asked, "Would the title of such a song credit you as a featured artist, or how would you prefer it"?
Grimes responded writing, "Sure - anything anyone wants. I'm curious about what happens and interested in being a Guinea pig." A third commented, "Hacking a new way forward. Go c ??." The singer, supporting the view, wrote, "Same, my friend - we need to be sea standing"!
The Mom Of Two Sparked A Frenzy Online Over Daughter's Name Change
Grimes keeps rolling in surprises on her fans and supporters! However, this time, it wasn't about her music but her one-year-old daughter, whom she shares with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Per The Blast, the "Venus Fly" singer, who named her daughter Exa after giving birth to her in December 2021, took to Twitter to make a shocking announcement. She shared a sweet photo of herself and her daughter in cosplay as Sailor Mars and revealed in the comments that her child has a new name.
She wrote, "She's Y now, or "Why?" or just "?" (But the government won't recognize that). Curiosity, the eternal question, .. and such."
