In the new single “A Drug From God” shared via Black Book Records and Astralwerks, Grammy-nominated producer and house artist Chris Lake teams up with alternative singer-songwriter Grimes’ newly launched AI girl group NPC.
NPC is a vehicle for experimentation in new technologies with an ever-changing lineup of members to an infinite capacity. At Grimes’ discretion, members can be voted in or out of the group while some, like baby Warnymph, are permanent staples.
Grimes formed the group as a means of being able to create and perform under different personas and as different people “to reduce the psychic pain of being in the public eye.”
“We’re super behind on everything and you’ll all see why in a month or so, so I apologize about delays of music and visuals,” Grimes wrote on Instagram. “Gna be catching up on the girls visual development and whatnot – but me and Chris Lake just needed to get this song out cuz it’s been going so hard at festivals!”
On “A Drug From God,” NPC delivers the message: “Money, Power, Beauty, Fame / Choose your weapon to beat the gamen/ Money is power and art is fraud / And love is just a drug from God.”
“NPC will hone the concepts of Art Angels and Miss Anthropocene, finally manifesting the endless characters in Grimes’ head,” read a press statement about the still-developing group. “NPC can do all the things humans cannot. NPC will eventually be playable, customizable, and able to cater to each individual listener’s unique desires. Decentralized Popstardom. Made, not Born.”
Grimes has shown an interest in artificial intelligence since early in her career. Earlier this year, she teased that her upcoming album would further explore that concept with the additional development of a solid narrative to use as a foundation.