Prince’s estate has issued a statement after followers claimed that artificial intelligence played a role in completing his latest posthumous project, Timeless.
The compilation, unveiled last month, includes ten previously unheard tracks recorded by Prince across a span from 1977 to 2016, covering early demos, studio work from the 1980s and 1990s, deep cuts from the 2000s, and a 2016 live rendition of How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore?
Nevertheless, as some fans voiced worries about the use of AI to finish the album—particularly the track Calabama—the Prince camp responded through Instagram.
The message from – NPG Records and The Prince Management Team – began: “Dear Friends, FamS and All.”
“As concerns have arisen regarding the credits, timing and arrangement of Prince’s song Calabama, which appeared on Timeless, we are respectfully responding to provide more context and clarity.”
At the bridge of Calabama, Prince’s vocal calls out twice for “horns,” yet the archived multitrack featured a synthesizer filling that space, which horn players later described. In keeping with Prince’s longstanding approach to writing and production across numerous works, a group of horn players who performed with Prince were assembled to overdub Prince’s synthesizer line with the intended horn part, and this version ultimately appeared on Timeless.
“All of Prince’s original recorded parts remain intact, with trombone, saxophone, and trumpet added by Greg Boyer, Adrian Crutchfield, and Lynn Grissett. These musicians had close ties to Prince and were credited on the album packaging, despite some claims to the contrary. With the exception of Calabama, no overdubs were used on any other Timeless track posthumously. And, of course, no AI was used on any Prince music.”
The team then urged listeners to approach future discussions with “kindness and respect” and disclosed plans for additional posthumous releases from Prince’s vault.
The statement continued: “Going forward, we intend to share even more details regarding the release of the music. Prince’s Vault is an archive of immense size and historical depth. The recordings exist in various forms, many of which are unfinished. This should not prevent them from being released.”
“Some may object to completing the unfinished portion of Calabama (even when utilizing Prince’s hand-picked musicians and aligning with his creative intent), while others have shown strong support for it and for the music overall (for which we are grateful). We recognize that not everyone will agree with every decision made about Prince’s music and related business, yet your passion, knowledge and thoughtful questions are appreciated.”
“In closing, no single individual or a small group bears sole responsibility for Prince’s affairs, and we all aim to cultivate constructive communication within the Prince community. While it is appropriate to pose probing questions and share your views on Prince’s music and its business aspects, it should be done with kindness and respect in keeping with Prince’s well-known principle of ‘Love For One Another.’ Stay tuned; more is on the way.”
