For years, live performance in Tanzania’s Bongo Flava scene has existed between two competing realities: audiences expect energetic, polished shows, while many artistes rely heavily on backing tracks to recreate the sound of their recordings on stage.
But as artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly changes the way music can be created, that tension is taking on a new dimension. AI-generated music can now produce convincing vocals, melodies and arrangements, raising a question that could become increasingly difficult for listeners to answer: how much of what they hear on a recording actually comes from the artiste?
The uncertainty could give live performance a new lease of life.
At a time when technology can replicate increasingly human-sounding music, stepping onto a stage and delivering a song in front of an audience becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a way for artistes to demonstrate their voices, musicianship and authenticity.
Music producer Salmin Maengo, popularly known as S2Kizzy, says the sophistication of AI-generated music means artistes will increasingly have to demonstrate their abilities outside the studio.
“AI is making it possible to create music that sounds as though it has been performed by a real person. That means an artiste can no longer rely only on the recording to show people what they can do. Live performance becomes important because it allows people to hear the actual voice and see the skills behind the music,” he says.
S2Kizzy believes this could encourage more artistes to embrace live shows as a way of building credibility with their audiences.
“If people are becoming unsure about what is real and what has been generated by AI, then the artiste has to give them something they can trust. When you stand in front of people and sing, they can judge your voice for themselves,” he says.
For veteran producer Joachim Kimaryo, popularly known as Master J, the issue extends beyond proving ownership of a song. It is also about demonstrating whether an artiste possesses the abilities suggested by their recordings.
“AI is changing the way people listen to music because you can hear a song and believe that a human being has sung it when, in fact, it may have been generated by a machine. That is why live performance becomes important.”
He further adds, “It gives an artiste the chance to show that the voice people hear on the recording is actually their voice,” he says.
Master J says the development could push artistes to take live performance more seriously because audiences are not simply listening to the finished song; they are watching the person behind it.
“When an artiste performs live, people are not only listening to the song; they are looking at the person producing that voice. They can see the control, the timing and the ability. In a time when technology can create convincing music, those things become even more valuable,” he says.
Music producer Justin Muhagachi, known as Gachi B, says AI could also change what audiences expect from artistes.
“The problem with AI is that it can make something sound very good without necessarily showing you who is behind that voice. A listener can hear a perfect vocal and assume that an artiste has done all that work.” he says
Gachi B further details that live performance gives the artiste an opportunity to remove that doubt and show that they actually have the ability they claim to have.
He says artistes should view live performance not simply as a stage obligation but as a way of building trust.
“If you consistently perform your songs live, people begin to understand that what they hear in the studio is not completely separate from what you can do in real life. You are showing them that you have the voice and the skills behind those recordings,” he says.
For singer Yasirun Shaban, known as Yammy, live performance provides an opportunity to answer questions that a recording cannot.
“When you sing live, there is nowhere to hide. People can hear your real voice and see how you control it. With AI, someone can create a song that sounds like it has been sung by a professional artiste, so performing live becomes one of the ways an artiste can show people, ‘This is really me. This is what I can do,’” she says.
Aboubakary Katwila, known as Q Chiller, believes the rise of AI could ultimately raise the standard expected of performers.
“AI can produce a song that sounds complete and convincing, but it cannot stand on stage as the artiste. That is where the real test comes in. If you want people to believe that the voice they heard in your song is yours, you have to be able to stand before them and deliver it yourself,” he says.
The argument is particularly relevant to Singeli, a genre in which live performance has traditionally been closely tied to how artistes develop their reputations and connect with audiences.
Singeli star Seif Haji, popularly known as Sholo Mwamba, says artistes in the genre may be better positioned to navigate the shift because live performance has long been part of Singeli’s foundation.
“We in Singeli have not been affected that much because live music is the foundation of our music. We grew up performing in places where there were many people, and you had to sing live. That is where people could see your ability and help you to become known,” he says.
Sholo Mwamba says the grassroots culture from which Singeli emerged continues to play an important role in establishing an artiste’s credibility.
“Our music is from the Uswazi, so you have to become known in the uswazi first before people in other places can know you.”
The Singeli artiste shares that when an artiste perform in front of many people, “they see what you can do and that is how you get support. If you can sing live and people see your ability, they can trust you and help you to reach more people,”
For producer and multi-instrumentalist Usindani Ally, popularly known as Bob Manecky, AI should not be viewed as a replacement for human musicianship, but rather as a technology that could make human ability more valuable.
“AI is a tool, but musicians still have to show what they can do. If technology can create a convincing voice, then the human musician has to demonstrate the things that technology cannot prove in the same way, your expression, your interaction with other musicians and your ability to perform in front of people,” he says.
That human element becomes even more apparent when instrumentalists take the stage.
Pianist Isaya Kiamburuga says live performance exposes technique and creativity in ways a finished recording cannot.
“When you play the piano live, people can see your technique and your creativity. They can see how you respond to the singer and to the other musicians. A recording can sound perfect, but live performance shows the person behind that sound,” he says.
Guitarist Neema Nembo similarly argues that the visibility of live musicianship gives audiences something technology cannot easily replicate.
“When you play the guitar live, people can see exactly what you are doing. They see your hands, your technique and how you respond to the music. That is why live performance remains important,” she says.
As AI continues to blur the line between human-made and machine-generated music, Tanzania’s music industry may be forced to reconsider what makes an artiste convincing in the first place.
For Bongo Flava, the answer could be found not in abandoning technology, but in returning to one of the oldest tests of musical ability: stepping onto a stage, facing an audience and delivering the music yourself.
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