AI actor Tilly Norwood releases music video that critics call the worst song ever heard
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AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood put out the worst song I've ever heard
When the production company Particle6 debuted its AI-generated "actor" Tilly Norwood last fall, the move was not warmly welcomed by Hollywood. "Good Lord, we're screwed," Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt said in an interview with the industry publication Variety. "Come on, agencies, don't do that.
[2]
AI Creation Tilly Norwood Is Back With the Music Video No One Asked For
Last year, a company called Title6 created a stir with a photorealistic AI-generated character dubbed Tilly Norwood that it was positioning as a performer with real-world Hollywood agents and claims it could compete with flesh-and-blood actors. Now, Tilly is back with a music video for a new song,
[3]
AI-Generated 'Actor' Tilly Norwood Drops a Music Video Ahead of the Oscars. It Sucks
Tilly Norwood, the ultimate industry plant, has been dubbed "the world's first AI actor" by the people who created her. She is still yet to appear in a single film or TV show, but she has a new music video out that is loosely tied to the Oscars and is letting people know that AI is great,
[4]
AI-Generated Tilly Norwood Drops Dreadful Music Video
Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated actress, has just dropped a music video -- and the song won't be winning any awards. Norwood's debut single and music video titled Take the Lead starts with the notice that the production was made by "18 real humans." It then launches into an AI pop ballad and
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Tilly Norwood's music video is so bad that I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief -- for now
AI goes fast, but it doesn't always go smoothly. Take AI 'actress' Tilly Norwood's first, execrable music video. On the one hand, it's a milestone in generative AI, bringing together a digital concoction, AI music, lyrics, and the work of 18 humans who, I presume, don't know any better. I'm
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Watch the bizarre AI video that took 18 humans to make
Tilly Norwood, a digital character from the UK studio Particle6, dropped her debut music video "Take the Lead" on March 10. The project is meant to be a playful response to the criticism she faced after her introduction in 2025. But instead of silencing the skeptics, the clip has become a fresh
[7]
The AI-Generated Tilly Norwood Just Dropped the Worst Music Video We've Ever Seen
Can't-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Late last year, video production company Particle6 triggered near-universal backlash when it unveiled its so-called "AI actress" dubbed "Tilly Norwood." The timing of the announcement couldn't have been worse, as some of the
[8]
AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood steps out in music video that makes Rebecca Black's Friday look like Beyonce's Formation
AI "actor" Tilly Norwood just isn't going to go away, huh? The AI-generated creation is back with a single and an accompanying music video championing AI. The AI "talent" studio Xicoia launched last fall, and brought into the world Tilly Norwood, an AI-generated "actor" that Xicoia founder and CEO
[9]
Controversial AI 'actor' Tilly Norwood releases the worst song ever
There's been some heated backlash against AI creation Tilly Norwood, and it's only getting worse with the release of the digital avatar's first single... What's the most annoying song you've ever heard? Think about it. Remind yourself of how you recoil in horror whenever you hear its opening
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Tilly Norwood, the AI 'actress,' responds to backlash in music video
In a statement, SAG-AFTRA criticized the creation of Tilly Norwood, an AI bot, calling it a "replacement of human performers by synthetics." Actress Tilly Norwood continues to turn heads in Hollywood, now as a musician. But she's still not human. After causing a stir among actors, the fictional
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AI "Actress" Tilly Norwood responds to backlash with surreal music video 'Take The Lead'
Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated "actress" known for sparking Hollywood debate, has released her first music video for the track Take The Lead. The song highlights that "AI's not the enemy, it's the key," emphasizing how artificial intelligence can collaborate with human creativity. The video
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AI Actor Tilly Norwood Drops Debut Single and Music Video 'Take the Lead': "I'm Just a Tool, But I've Got Life"
AI "actor" Tilly Norwood has released a debut single and accompanying music video. From the London-based Xicoia Studios, the release comes ahead of Norwood's official AI acting debut later this year and offers the first glimpse into the evolving "Tilly-verse," a new entertainment world where AI
[13]
My final goodbye to AI ragebait
AI actress Tilly Norwood recently debuted her dead-eyed soiree into the world of music with her new ballad 'Take The Lead' - a 4-minute slop fest glazing the 'power' of AI. From its soulless visuals to the borderline indoctrinating lyrics, my initial reaction was one of scorn and frustration. How
[14]
Exclusive | AI pop star Tilly Norwood's creator claims phony singer 'has real...
From modeling to acting, and now singing, the doe-eyed diva, birthed via artificial intelligence, is a manmade multi-hyphenate who comes with all the works -- and it's working the nerves of humans worldwide. But the bot's creator, Eline Van der Velden, says that the haters have got it all wrong --
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Particle6's AI-generated character Tilly Norwood has released a music video titled Take the Lead, and the reception has been brutal. Critics are calling it the worst song they've ever heard, with lyrics defending AI's role in entertainment while the video struggles to gain traction—just 4,000 views in four hours. The release intensifies debates about AI in entertainment and whether AI creations can replace human creative workers.
AI-Generated Character Sparks Fresh Controversy
Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated character created by production company Particle6, has released a music video that is drawing widespread criticism across the entertainment industry
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. The AI actor, who first appeared last fall and was marketed as a potential competitor to flesh-and-blood performers, dropped the video for Take the Lead ahead of the Oscars3
. TechCrunch's assessment was blunt: "Upon listening to it, I actually think it is the worst song I have ever heard"1
. The Tilly Norwood music video represents a new chapter in the ongoing battle over AI in entertainment, one that appears to be backfiring spectacularly for its creators.
Source: New York Post
Lyrics That Miss the Mark on Human Experience
The Take the Lead song opens with Norwood singing, "When they talk about me, they don't see/The human spark, the creativity"
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. The lyrics directly address the backlash against AI, with Norwood insisting, "They say it's not real, that it's fake/But I am still human, make no mistake"1
. Critics point out the fundamental problem: the song attempts to create empathy for an experience no human will ever have. The chorus includes a rallying cry to other AI creations: "Actors, it's time to take the lead/Create the future, plant the seed/Don't be left out, don't fall behind/Build your own, and you'll be free"1
. The song culminates with the message that "AI's not the enemy, it's the key," a claim that has only intensified criticism3
.Production Details and Lackluster Reception
Despite a title card claiming 18 real humans worked on the production, the music was generated using Suno, an AI platform, while the video was produced using AI tools and performance capture
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. Eline van der Velden, founder of Particle6 and creator of the AI-generated character, acted out Norwood's movements and expressions for the performance capture4
. The four-minute video shows Norwood performing atop London rooftops, in a bathtub, and flying through the sky on a flamingo-shaped inflatable4
. Yet the numbers tell a different story about its appeal: at the time of publication, the video had garnered just over 4,000 views in four hours, with around 80 comments, most of them negative3
. Norwood's social media presence remains minimal, with under 4,000 YouTube subscribers, just 3 TikTok followers, and nearly 90,000 Instagram followers3
.
Source: THR
Industry Backlash Intensifies
The entertainment industry has not welcomed AI creations in entertainment with open arms. When Particle6 first introduced Tilly Norwood last fall, Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt responded in a Variety interview: "Good Lord, we're screwed. Come on, agencies, don't do that. Please stop"
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. SAG-AFTRA, one of the largest unions representing human creative workers, issued a strong statement condemning the AI actor: "'Tilly Norwood' is not an actor; it's a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers -- without permission or compensation. It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we've seen, audiences aren't interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience"1
. Multiple talent agencies announced they wouldn't represent the photorealistic AI character, and several actors threatened to boycott any agency that signed Norwood3
.Technical Flaws Expose AI Limitations
Beyond the lyrical content, critics have identified numerous technical problems that expose the limitations of current AI tools. TechRadar noted that Norwood "doesn't know how to sing," performing without blinking or breathing properly, and at one point clearly inhaling while singing—a physical impossibility for human performers
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. The video displays what critics describe as the "standard AI sheen" where things look technically good but fall apart under scrutiny, such as falling dollar bills with completely unintelligible symbols3
. Polygon compared the video unfavorably to Rebecca Black's widely mocked Friday, saying it makes that song look like Beyoncé's Formation2
. The Los Angeles Times suggested the video is so bad that actors needn't worry about AI creations putting them out of work2
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Source: Polygon
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Concerns About Training Data and Human Artistry
The backlash against AI highlights deeper concerns about copyright concerns and the use of training data without consent. SAG-AFTRA's statement emphasized that the AI-generated character creates "the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry"
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. TechCrunch drew parallels to Pitchfork's infamous 0.0 review of Jet's album, noting that while Jet was merely derivative, "Tilly Norwood is literally derived from AI models that could not exist without the training data that tech companies took from artists without their consent"1
. These issues around AI guardrails and compensation remain central to ongoing debates in creative fields.What's Next for the Tillyverse
Van der Velden has defended the project, stating that "Tilly is, and has always been, a vehicle to test the creative capabilities and boundaries of AI -- not take anyone's job"
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. She emphasized that "great AI content isn't instant -- it always takes good ideas, taste, direction, judgment and time. In other words: people remain at the heart of it"4
. Particle6 has announced plans for the Tillyverse, an entertainment world where AI characters "live, interact, and work," with Norwood's planned acting debut later this year4
. The video's description hints at a potential Oscars appearance, asking, "Does anyone know if they have free valet parking for my flamingo?"3
. Since introducing the character, Particle6 has yet to produce anything longer than four minutes, raising questions about whether Hollywood will embrace or reject this vision of AI in entertainment. For now, the overwhelmingly negative response suggests audiences remain firmly on the side of human performers.References
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