AI in the Music Industry – Part 17: ‘Fake Drake’ and the Problem of Deep Fakes

In mid-April 2023, there was a lot of excitement when the song “Heart on My Sleeve” appeared on the Internet and went viral. It features Canadian rap superstar Drake in a duet with his famous compatriot The Weeknd. Fans were already thinking that Drake had released a new song with a crazy new promotional campaign when it emerged that his voice had been artificially imitated by someone disguised in a sheet and sunglasses, calling himself ghostwriter977, who then posted the song on TikTok.[1] The song was already available on Spotify on 4 April[2] and then also appeared on other streaming portals and YouTube.[3]