Muse frontman Matt Bellamy believes growing reliance on artificial intelligence is changing the way younger people discover music, claiming many are turning away from polished pop in favour of more authentic, guitar-driven sounds.
Speaking ahead of the release of Muse’s new album, The Wow! Signal, Bellamy said his perspective comes from watching the habits of younger members of his own family, including his 22-year-old stepson Ryder and 14-year-old son Bing.
Gen Z is looking for authenticity, says Bellamy
Bellamy believes constant exposure to AI across education, entertainment and everyday life is encouraging younger listeners to seek out music that feels more human.
“My stepson with Kate [Hudson], Ryder, is 22 and he’s just graduated from NYU. Then Bing is 14, and I’ve got the two little ones as well. Having a boy who’s 22 and a boy who’s 14 means I get a real sense of what’s going on in their generation.”
He added:
“I think that generation is turning away from pop, hip-hop and dance a little bit. They’re seeking raw, chaotic-sounding music.”
Bellamy believes artificial intelligence is playing a significant role in that shift.
“I think the reason why is because that generation is drowned by AI. AI is dominating everything they do, from schoolwork to music and the arts. I could be wrong but from what I sense from them, they’re gravitating towards what they know to be real.”
Muse embrace collaboration on The Wow! Signal
The comments come as Muse release The Wow! Signal, their latest studio album and the first in the band’s career to feature a guest artist.
Ellie Goulding appears on the track Hush, marking Muse’s first official collaboration with another performer.
Bellamy revealed the partnership came after years of encouragement to become more open to working with others, including advice from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.
“Chris actually got me a Christmas present one year, and it was a book called The Collaborative Way. It was his way of saying, ‘You’re an auto dictator, you need to learn to collaborate’. I read the book and I was like, ‘F***, of course he’s right’. I only managed to pull it off on one song on this album. Dan put together a little writing team, so Hush is the first time we’ve done a collaborative co-write.”
How Ellie Goulding joined the song
According to Bellamy, Goulding’s appearance happened unexpectedly while both artists were recording in neighbouring studios.
“By absolutely sheer coincidence, Ellie Goulding was working next door with Marshmello.”
He continued:
“I’ve bumped into Ellie a bunch of times over the years and we’ve talked about doing something. She just popped her head in at about 11pm. She asked to listen… and someone asked her to sing on it. We just turned it into a duet at that point. She sang it in a couple of takes and an hour-and-a-half later, we had the song.”
