Prince’s estate dispelled rumors that they sued AI to complete the late music icon’s new album, Timeless.
Originally announced in June 2026, Timeless is a collection of rare and unreleased songs that Prince re-recorded. The late singer recorded all songs between 1977 and 2016. Timeless dropped on August 28 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death. The beloved singer died of an accidental fentanyl overdose on April 21, 2016. He was 57.
Among the tracks on the album is a song titled “Calabama”. This particular track sparked speculation that producers used AI tools in its mixing and mastering. However, Prince’s estate pushed back and set the record straight.
Prince’s estate claims that they did not use AI to finish the songs on his new album
“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,” they said in a statement shared on Instagram.
“Consistent with Prince’s songwriting and production approach on numerous previous recordings, a group of horn players who played with Prince were assembled to overdub Prince’s synthesiser track with the intended horn line, and this version was released on ‘Timeless’,” the statement continued, noting that finishing touches were only done by live musicians.
“All of Prince’s original recorded parts remain intact,” the statement added. “With trombone, saxophone, and trumpet added by Greg Boyer, Adrian Crutchfield, and Lynn Grissett.” All the musicians involved “had close ties to Prince” and the album packaging credited them.
The Estate holds more Prince music in their vault and may share it in the future
Prince’s estate managers plan to “provide even more details regarding the release of the music” to fans. They also say the music legend’s vault is an “archive of massive size and historical depth.” The statement also indicated that they will not “prevent” fans from hearing Prince’s unfinished music.
They also asked fans to approach these things with more “kindness and respect” in the future.
“Some may object to the completion of the unfinished portion of ‘Calabama’ (even using Prince’s handpicked musicians and aligned with his creative intent),” the statement offered. While others have been very supportive of it and the music overall (which we thank you).”
“In closing, no one or two individuals are responsible for the business of Prince” the statement concluded. “And we all wish to foster healthy communications within the Prince community.”
Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns
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