For senior Andrew Yuan, ChatGPT is more than an informative chatbot. It is an at-home music studio, generating song concepts and lyrics to create music with ease. Using the up and coming AI server and Garageband, Yuan produces original music and released his first single “Finding Love” on his YouTube Channel, GPTSING. 

When composing a song, Yuan relies on ChatGPT to construct the concept and lyrics of the song. He inputs a prompt specifying his envisioned genre and idea, and the chatbot generates lyrics and a few chords, establishing a backbone for the song. With his music centered around harmonics, Yuan then turns to Garageband, tinkering with the chords given by ChatGPT. He also creates the backing instrumental by experimenting with different instruments and sounds and layers melodies over the harmonies using the new lyrics. Subsequently, he fits in other instruments, such as percussion, and pairs it with his vocals to officially produce a song. 

“It is easier to write melodies now that I have ChatGPT.” Yuan said. 

Yuan has always been drawn to music. He dates his music journey back to 2011, when he began taking piano lessons at the age of six. However, singing ultimately resonated with Yuan, as it was a unifying force in his home.

“I started to really like singing because my family was always singing,” Yuan said. “Once we would get together and sing, conflicts were resolved and it was really nice.”  

Yuan began his singing career in his middle school’s choir but decided to take a break from the art. During his freshman year of high school, he rekindled his passion when he began taking vocal lessons and subsequently, sang in Lynbrook’s A Choir. Yuan took pleasure in exploring different genres of music and even discovered his love for jazz. Drawn to the genre because of its improvisational nature, Yuan cherishes the ability to let loose and break the rules of music while still being creative. 

“Andrew is very adaptable and willing to incorporate new ideas into his music,” Yuan’s friend and senior Hank Hsu said. “He has not settled on a style and is still innovating.” 

Yuan was motivated to create music after watching his older sister write songs. Before he got his footing in song production, Yuan would also develop ideas for melodies and admired how music theory could gel with creative elements to create an original composition. Moreover, singing and making music helped him destress during difficult times, fueling his passion for the art.

“He is into key changes and interesting chords so he always has good ideas to implement,” Hsu said. “I am excited to see what he does in the future.”

But, Yuan could never fully dedicate himself to composing because of one roadblock: writing lyrics. Yuan had struggled with generating ideas and forming the appropriate words. But with ChatGPT, this obstacle was eliminated and the process was accelerated, making it much easier and quicker for Yuan to produce songs. 

Yuan decided to create a YouTube channel because he liked having a platform where he could not only display his work, but look back on it in the future. He had always enjoyed creating content as he used to make videos with his father on a separate account when he was younger. Yuan also uploads music projects onto his website, MusicBytes, which features a collection of instrumentals he produced through Garageband. Each song is derived from a mixture of genres and instruments, showcasing Yuan’s versatility and experimental style. 

Yuan looks forward to growing his channel and expanding into other types of videos. He also hopes that his music can help him connect with others and that the creativity and skills he gains from composing music can translate into other creative endeavors.