First AI-assisted song to win a Grammy award

“Now and Then” by The Beatles (UK) won Best Rock Performance at the 67th Grammy Awards on 2 February 2025 to become the first AI-assisted composition to land a trophy at music’s most prestigious prize-giving ceremony. Billed as The Beatles’ last song, “Now and Then” was resurrected from John Lennon’s late-1970s home demo recording by audio-restoration technology and completed by surviving band members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr from abandoned 1995 recording sessions (also featuring George Harrison), at which the ballad was being readied for the group’s Anthology 1 compilation.

Also nominated for Record of the Year (a category won by Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”) at the 67th Grammys, “Now and Then” had broken new ground on 8 November 2024 as the first AI-assisted song to receive a Grammys nod. It beat off competition from The Black Keys, Green Day, Idles, Pearl Jam and St Vincent to win Best Rock Performance.

The Beatles have now collected eight Grammy awards (from 25 nominations). Sixty years on from winning their first and second gongs – Best New Artist and Best Performance by a Vocal Group (“A Hard Day’s Night”) at the 7th edition in 1965, “Now and Then” was the band’s first Grammys success since 1997, when they claimed Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Music Video, Short Form, both for “Free as a Bird”, and Best Music Video, Long Form (The Beatles Anthology).