The Rolling Stones recently secured a Grammy win in 2025 for their acclaimed album Hackney Diamonds. Now, the legendary band returns this month with their highly anticipated project, Foreign Tongues. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards recently sat down with Billboard for an exclusive cover story. During the interview, they discussed guest features, their songwriting process, and the evolving role of studio technology.
Since their debut 63 years ago, the band has witnessed countless technological leaps. Keith Richards recalled their early days while speaking inside the Roxy Hotel’s Django Room. “When we started off, it was two-track tape,” he explained.
Quickly, studio gear advanced to four-track and then 16-track systems. Innovators constantly introduced new equipment for the band to test. However, the latest technological push button is artificial intelligence. Consequently, this innovation has sparked heated debates regarding human agency in art and legal protections for creators.
Unsurprisingly, Mick Jagger strictly opposes AI imitations of the band. “Obviously, I don’t want to be imitated by AI, vocally and instrumentally,” Jagger stated firmly in London. He believes that using AI to simply copy The Rolling Stones is fundamentally wrong.
Instead, Jagger encourages true originality. He accepts AI only if artists use it to generate their own unique thoughts and input.
Similarly, Keith Richards shares this critical perspective. The iconic guitarist prefers hearing original compositions rather than synthesized copies. “Music could do a lot better than just trying to copy itself,” Richards noted. He emphasized that the industry thrives on fresh input, not on recycling old concepts.
Despite their reservations about audio copying, the band partially utilized AI for their new “In the Stars” music video. The production team filmed real musicians wearing vintage clothes on a physical set. Then, they used deepfake technology to superimpose the younger faces of Jagger, Richards, and Ronnie Wood over the actors.
“We had a lot of fun with that,” Jagger shared. The deepfake process successfully recreated the band’s appearance from 1968. Interestingly, they had to adjust Wood’s face because the initial rendering looked too much like Jeff Beck.
Richards also found the experience amusing, though he remains highly skeptical about music videos in general. “I knew it was a disaster way back in the ’70s,” he joked regarding the marriage of video and music. Ultimately, Richards still values the studio record above any visual spectacle.
Speaking of visual spectacles, if you want to explore how modern style is shifting this year, read about how the sneakerina trend means balletcore returns to summer fashion. Finally, keep track of all upcoming music and chart updates directly on Billboard.
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