An unreleased Prince recording sparked an unexpected AI trust controversy — all because fans have sharp ears.
Earlier this month, Prince's estate confirmed the release of a new album, Timeless, featuring ten previously unreleased songs spanning from 1977 to 2016 — covering four decades of the late artist's career, with track selection personally overseen by the estate. The album is set to drop on August 28, timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Prince's death from an accidental fentanyl overdose — he was 57. The previously released tracks "With This Tear" and "Stone" drew no controversy, but another song, "Calabama," did.
Some fans noticed something off about the horn arrangements, timing, and production traces on the track, suspecting AI involvement. The estate responded directly with a statement on Instagram: "In light of questions raised about the production credits, timeline, and arrangement of 'Calabama,' we wanted to provide more context and clarification."
They explained that the approach actually continued a production method Prince himself used during his lifetime — bringing in horn players who had previously worked with him to overdub the horn lines he had originally mapped out onto a synthesizer track he'd already recorded. The result is the version of "Calabama" featured on Timeless. The statement emphasized that all of Prince's original recorded parts remain fully intact, and the only elements added afterward were trombone, saxophone, and trumpet, performed respectively by Greg Boyer, Adrian Crutchfield, and Lynn Grissett — all three of whom "have deep ties to Prince," with their names listed in the album's liner credits.
The estate also clarified that aside from "Calabama," none of the other tracks on the album feature "any posthumous overdubbing," and that the album as a whole "does not use AI at all." They also promised to share more details about the release going forward, describing Prince's vault as "an archive of staggering scale and historical depth," and noting that just because some works are unfinished doesn't mean they should be shelved away and kept from fans.
The statement closed on a softer note, urging fans to keep discussing the music "with kindness and respect": "Some may not agree with completing the unfinished parts of 'Calabama' — even using musicians handpicked by Prince himself and staying true to his original creative intent. But many others have been incredibly supportive of this album, and we're deeply grateful. Prince's legacy has never been controlled by one or two decision-makers, and we hope for healthy dialogue within Prince's fan community."
News of Timeless was announced during "Prince Celebration Week," declared by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, running from June 1 to June 7. On June 6, the city skyline was lit purple in his honor, and multiple listening events were held at Paisley Park and downtown throughout the week.
Another incident sheds light on how carefully the estate guards Prince's music licensing: earlier this year, they refused to allow Prince's songs to appear in a documentary about Melania Trump. The film's producer, Marc Beckman, revealed in an interview that "lawyers representing the estate" reached out directly to the production team with a clear message — "Prince would never want his music associated with Donald Trump."
