Boy George re-records 'Karma Chameleon' with AI to reclaim his biggest hit

Boy George and Culture Club have re-recorded their 1983 hit “Karma Chameleon” using AI, in a bid to give George control of a song he has never owned. He sang a new vocal, then an AI model trained on the original 1983 recordings reshaped it to match his younger voice. The release is timed to his 65th birthday.

The re-record marks the launch of Artist Included, a music technology company co-founded by George’s longtime manager Paul Kemsley and attorney and producer Jeremy Rosen. George serves as creative director. The track is out now on digital and on red, gold, and green vinyl, the three colors named in the lyrics, with reimagined cover art.

George has been blunt about why he did it. Asked for his reason, his answer was one word: control.

The idea started with money. According to Kemsley, a Virgin campaign licensed “Karma Chameleon” for roughly $4 million, with about $2 million going to the master rights holders. George got only an appearance fee, because he has never owned the master of his biggest song.

Re-recording the track gives him a master he controls for the first time. It is an AI-assisted re-record, not a voice clone: George performed the song, and AI shaped the vocal toward its 1983 sound. For the full breakdown of how the AI was made and who owns what, see our explainer on how Boy George used AI to reclaim “Karma Chameleon”.

Artist Included wants to turn that into a service for other legacy acts. The plan is to help artists who do not own their hits record them again with AI and reclaim a version they control. That reframes a technology most of the industry has treated as a threat, the same fear driving Lionel Richie’s move to trademark his voice.

The catch is the response. A near-identical re-record competing with the original raises questions for labels, master owners, and fans about which version wins. “Karma Chameleon” is the first test, announced through The Hollywood Reporter.