Nashville Songwriter Chris Gray Launches AI Singer Vance Drake to Perform His Decades of Songs, Highlighting the Divide Over Creativity, Transparency and Opportunity
NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville songwriter Chris Gray has found an unusual way to hear his work performed: he created an artificial intelligence singer named Vance Drake to record songs he has written over decades in Music City.
Gray says the idea grew out of a familiar frustration for songwriters, who often write material that never reaches an audience. Rather than let those songs sit unheard, he turned to AI as a way to present them with a consistent voice and production style.
He is clear about what Vance Drake is and is not. Gray describes the performer as an AI creation, not a real person, and says the songs remain his own writing.
Gray says the AI singer is a delivery tool, not a replacement for songwriting
Gray draws a firm line between creating songs and performing them. In his view, songwriting should remain human, while AI can help with the job of getting those songs in front of listeners.
He has said the project is meant to function as a vehicle for his catalog, not as an attempt to pass machine-made work off as something else. That distinction matters to him, especially at a moment when the music business is wrestling with how AI should be used.
Gray says the technology lets him create an AI artist that sings, while he continues to write the material behind it. “He’s a singer. He sings my songs. He doesn’t write,” Gray said.
Industry anxiety over AI was on display at the Nashville Songwriter Awards
Gray’s project arrives as artificial intelligence has become a major conversation point in Nashville and beyond. At the Nashville Songwriter Awards, multiple songwriters voiced concern that AI could diminish the role of human creativity in music.
One attendee said the emotional quality of a song is something AI cannot truly copy. That concern reflects a broader unease among writers who see heart, memory and lived experience as central to songwriting.
Former ASCAP president and songwriter Paul Williams also underscored that human authorship still matters, especially when it comes to copyright. His point added to the idea that AI may be useful as a tool, but not as a stand-in for the creative process itself.
Years in Nashville brought Gray a few real cuts and many more unreleased songs
Gray’s catalog did not begin with Vance Drake. He has spent decades writing in Nashville, and a few of his songs have already found recognition through established names in country music.
Legendary music executive Buddy Killen once included one of Gray’s songs in a country Christmas book. Alabama lead singer Randy Owen also recorded Gray’s song “Braid My Hair,” giving him proof that his work can resonate with other artists.
Even with those milestones, Gray says he still hopes major stars will eventually record more of his songs. He mentioned Carrie Underwood as an artist he would love to hear one of his pieces, and he says he has been holding one song for 20 years.
Production costs pushed him toward AI and away from bigger-label budgets
For Gray, the appeal of AI is not just novelty. It is also economics. He says independent songwriters often cannot afford the kind of production and mixing work that larger labels can cover with ease.
Using AI, he says, gives him access to tools that would otherwise cost far more than he can comfortably spend. In that sense, he sees Vance Drake as a way to level the playing field for writers without major backing.
Gray frames the project as a practical solution for sharing songs that might otherwise remain unfinished or unheard. The technology, in his view, makes it possible to present material in a polished form without waiting for a costly studio opportunity.
Transparency is central to Gray’s approach to AI music
Gray is not interested in hiding the fact that Vance Drake is artificial. He says listeners should always know when they are hearing an AI-generated performer, and he criticizes creators who do not disclose that detail.
According to Gray, some AI singers on social media have accumulated large audiences while leaving people unsure about who, or what, is actually behind the music. He says that kind of deception is exactly what he wants to avoid.
That is why he insists on identifying Vance Drake openly as AI-generated. For Gray, the ethics of the project matter as much as the songs themselves.
Gray plans a monthly release schedule as Vance Drake builds an audience
Gray says the Vance Drake project is just getting started. He plans to release a new song through the AI singer every month while continuing to make clear that the artist is not human.
The songs, he says, still come from lived experience and traditional songwriting. The AI voice is there to present them, not to originate them.
Listeners can find Vance Drake’s music on streaming platforms and social media, and Gray has also provided an email address for anyone who wants to learn more about the project. For now, the goal is simple: keep the songs moving and let people hear what he has written.
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