Kid Rock Defends AI Choir On Eminem Duet As Bill Maher Questions Lost Jobs

Kid Rock defended using an AI choir on his Eminem duet after Bill Maher questioned what that choice meant for working singers.

On the October 30 episode of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Rock explained how he built parts of “Heal My Faith.” He said his backing singers were away when he wanted to finish the track, so he turned to software.

“I’m an impatient guy,” Rock said.

He described entering notes and asking for a Southern gospel sound, then trying several options before choosing one he liked. Rock said saving time drove the choice, rather than the cost of hiring a group to sing.

Maher pressed him on whether the process had taken paid work from people who could have sung those parts.

“When the Beatles used a choir, they needed a fucking choir,” Maher said.

Kid Rock compared the change to drum machines and said he still viewed AI as a tool, while supporting rules on its use.

“I see the dangers of it,” he said.

He contrasted that process with “7 Sins,” where three backing singers recorded repeated takes to create the sound of a larger group.

Kid Rock had already discussed using AI for parts of the album before Halfway 2 Jesus came out October 17. In that earlier Billboard interview, he described generated choir and orchestral sounds alongside recordings made with Nashville musicians and his band.

“Heal My Faith” had drawn attention before its release because Rock and Eminem backed opposing sides in the last presidential race. Rock supported Donald Trump, while Eminem took the stage at a Detroit rally for Kamala Harris in 2024.

AllHipHop previously covered the album’s guest switch, which put Lil Wayne on “7 Sins” and moved Eminem to “Heal My Faith.” The switch followed Eminem’s request to return to the song Rock first brought him, according to Rock’s account to Billboard.

Their work together dates back to Eminem’s guest verse on Rock’s 1998 album Devil Without A Cause.

Eminem addressed their partnership on X: “Not about choosing sides, just choosing to make music with my old friend. Praying for all of us.”