1010Benja and Suno: The Music AI That Surprises

1010Benja and Suno: The Musical AI That Surprises

1010Benja makes no apologies for using AI. His track "Semiramis’ Dream," created with Suno, demonstrates that AI can be much more than just a production engine in the right hands.

I would never say there’s no place for AI in music (I’m a fan of Holly Herndon, after all). However, I generally find music created with generative AI to be offensively dull, especially the productions from Suno. So it’s a bit perplexing to realize that I actually enjoy "Semiramis’ Dream" by 1010Benja.

Benja has been open about his use of generative AI on his latest EP, Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose.... The other three tracks can’t really compete with what’s found on Ten Total from 2024. But the intro "Semiramis’ Dream" is infectious. It bursts from the speakers with a jungle rhythm and Benja’s incredible, obviously human voice at the forefront.

You would be forgiven for not immediately realizing that the song is a product of Suno. It lacks many telltale signs. Even the most obvious part of the AI in the song — the choir of singers — is easily camouflaged among the rapid cuts influenced by hyperpop. The heavily processed and artificial-sounding voices are a staple of many modern pop genres, and by leaning into this strangeness, Benja manages to mask their origins.

But Benja isn’t hiding. He stated in an interview with Hearing Things:

"My friend Patrick Holder made the beat. I recorded the vocals. Then we fed Suno the elements, chose something, released it, edited it on Ableton, and then put it back into Suno. So when you look on Deezer, the song is marked as generated by AI. We’re not hiding anything. We’re not ashamed of it."

Benja’s process certainly sets him apart from the rest of the productions of Suno. He wrote the lyrics, sang the vocals, and worked with collaborators to create the music. Then he fed that into Suno, took what the AI produced, brought it into Ableton, edited it, added more layers, and sent it back to Suno... an endless cycle. Benja estimates he did this a few hundred times for "Semiramis’ Dream."

While Benja claims to be agnostic about the tools he uses, he’s not naive to the ethical baggage that comes with using generative AI. He acknowledges the harm it causes to the planet but somewhat nihilistically states that we can’t stop greedy corporations or put AI back in its bottle: "The good guy doesn’t win this time," he says.

"The only reason I use AI is that my visions are currently well beyond my means. People have asked me, 'Did you use AI for this EP?' I’m like, [sarcastically] 'No, I hired a professional children’s choir.' What are we talking about? I didn’t pay my rent last month, and I’m not going to pay it this month. I don’t know where I’m going to be."

It’s hard not to feel empathy for Benja. Although he seems on the verge of takeoff and received a Best New Music award from Pitchfork for Ten Total, he is a struggling artist who has gone through periods of homelessness.

However, it’s also worth acknowledging that there’s little in "Semiramis’ Dream" sonically that he couldn’t have achieved without AI. Sure, he couldn’t hire a children’s choir, but it’s not as if the AI choir present in Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose... was particularly convincing. A similar effect could be achieved with a few layered performances and smart vocal processing.

1010Benja hasn’t converted me — I remain deeply skeptical of AI-generated art. But he has proven that, in the right hands, Suno doesn’t have to be a mediocre production engine.