The frontman of W.A.S.P., Blackie Lawless, has said he isn’t worried about artificial intelligence in music, comparing today’s fears to the Y2K panic of the late 1990s.
“`He gave his view in a VIP Q&A with the audience before W.A.S.P.’s show at the House of Blues in Houston, Texas, on 20 September 2026.
On the tools that create music with artificial intelligence he said: «It’s not gonna affect me. I really don’t know. Do you remember Y2K? In the end, a lot was said and little happened. There’s certainly a place for artificial intelligence. We’ll see. I’m not particularly excited, either way. If it becomes a tool that helps people, so be it.»
Y2K was the fear that computer systems would collapse at the turn of the millennium; the disaster people expected never came.
He went on to say that if you listen to a rock or country station, the songs aren’t all that different; what differs is the people playing them. Artificial intelligence can’t do that, at least not yet, he said, and it remains to be seen whether it will ever get to think like a separate personality.
In June 2024 the RIAA filed lawsuits on behalf of Universal, Sony Music and Warner Records against Suno and Udio, accusing them of training their systems on the labels’ recordings without permission. Universal later settled with Udio and Warner with Suno, in late 2025.
On the legal battle Lawless said the labels had learned from their mistakes, recalling that their lawyers were asleep while the internet was developing. He even mentioned W.A.S.P.’s first contract with Capitol and EMI, which spoke of «known and unknown sources in other galaxies».
W.A.S.P. began the «1984 To Headless» tour across the US and Canada with KK’s Priest on 10 September 2026 at The Magnolia in El Cajon. The 32 shows wrap up on 31 October 2026 in Anaheim, California, while in 2027 the tour continues in Europe and other territories. The setlist of the first night had 17 songs from the first four albums and opened with Uriah Heep’s «Easy Livin’».
See also: the update from Blackie Lawless on Chris Holmes’ battle with cancer and Ministry and artificial intelligence on their final album.
Source: https://blabbermouth.net/news/w-a-s-p-s-blackie-lawless-on-a-i-powered-music-creation-its-not-gonna-affect-me
