Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun has become a trending topic on Chinese social media platforms once again. This time, it is not for a new album or concert, but for     1     artificial intelligence version of her voice.

In recent weeks, a series of music videos     2     (feature) Sun’s “voice” have created a buzz. It is incredible that none of the songs are sung by Sun herself.     3    , they are produced by AI software. One of them, a video of Fa Ru Xue, whose original singer is Jay Chou,     4     (view) more than 1.6 million times since it was posted on April 14.

Many viewers embraced a technology that provides people with a different way     5     (enjoy) their favorite music. However, legal professionals have expressed concerns about the     6     (possible) of rights infringements(侵权). They say using AI to imitate a singer’s voice     7     permission, and the mass-sharing it, meets the definition of infringement according to the Chinese Copyright Law and     8     using celebrities’ names and imitating their voices through AI could also create unfair competition,     9     could mislead audiences and confuse the public.     10     (consequent), they strongly advocated that the Cyberspace Administration of China should regulate the application of the new technology.

3 . Is there a friend of yours who always sings out of tune (曲调) but never realizes it? Don’t be so hard on them — they may have amusia — the inability to tell the difference in tunes.

Apart from singing out of tune, people with amusia may also find it hard to recognize music they’ve heard before without the help of song lyrics. Besides, people who suffer from Amusia can have difficulty in recognizing melodies and a total inability to tell between different musical sounds, according to Live Science. However, people with amusia can recognize common environmental sounds as well as the high and lows sounds in human voices, meaning that this inability can be specially related to music.

In many cases, people who have amusia are born with it, as 46 percent of these individuals’ family members were found to have similar conditions, according to a 2017 study. Brain imaging shows that their brains receive and respond to music pitch (音高) information, but it is not reaching conscious awareness, meaning that the mind can’t understand the information.

Scientists at the University of Otago in New Zealand also think that amusia is related to people’s special processing skills. They invited people with amusia, musicians and students from non-musical backgrounds to perform a task related to spacial imagination. They were asked to decide whether pairs of images are the same object moving around or mirror images.

The result showed that the amusia group made more mistakes than the other two groups. Amusia might be related to the way brain stores information about the high and low sounds in songs, according to the study.

Although those who aren’t confident about their singing skills often say they’re “tune-deaf”, people with amusia only make up about 1.5 percent of the population, as shown in the 2017 study. “Like dyslexics (诵读困难者) can learn how to read, those with amusia should be able to better their ability to recognize tunes if they start early enough,” Isabelle Peretz, a professor of psychology from the University of Montreal in Canada, told Live Science.

5 . For any advanced record collector, we have a great collection for you to know about your favorite music!

The Beatles — Vol 1 Evolution (1940-64)

This is the first in die set of three-Its 116 pages cover every single, album from 1962 to 1964, all newly reviewed by top experts, forming a UK Beatles discography (录音作品名录) with comments: a must-have for fans and collectors.

The Beatles — Vol 2: Revolution (1965-67)

It is the second in the set. Covering their creative glory years in the mid-60s, up to the recording of their masterpiece, Sgt Pepper’s, it presents interviews with their great producer George Martin, Pattie Boyd and Beatles insider Tony Bramwell. 116 pages of quality reading.

The Beatles — Vol 3: Ascension (1968-2019)

It is the third in the series, covering their final years together, from the story of the White Album to the success of Abbey Road. There is analysis of what finally broke up the band.

The Rolling Stones: Making The Legend

This special magazine focusing on the archives tells the best story of the rise of The rolling Stones. It’s a must — have for fans of the world’s greatest rock roll band — and for anyone who wants to became what it is today, this is right for you.

Pink Floyd — Shooting For The Moon

It records the development of this globally loved band, from their beginnings back in 1967 to their lasting position half a century later, by the way of archive (档案，史料).

◆Buy a package of any 3 for just £18.00 UK

(£ 28.50 EU, £ 34.50 rest of world) postage packing included

◆Available to buy separately at £ 6.99 UK, £10. 49 EU & £ 12.49 rest of world postage packing included

◆For a mixed package please call us on 020 8752 8193 NOW!

7 . The spotlight shines brightly on the dancers as they gracefully leap across the stage. But what sets this performance apart from others is not just the skill and grace of the dancers but the unique and meaningful use of recycled materials in their costumes and set design.

The famous Japanese ballet company, K-Ballet, recently showed their new production “Plastic”, which aims to raise awareness about the global plastic pollution crisis. The costumes worn by the dancers are made from used bubble wrap, the stage is surrounded by four massive walls constructed from recycled plastic bottles, and even the 100 umbrellas used in the performance were found abandoned in the streets of Tokyo.

The dancers, including guest star Julian MacKay, look like space-age creatures with hand-cleaned plastic bottles tied to their bodies as they dance on stage. MacKay, from the United States, notes that the issue of plastic waste “really hasn’t gotten that spotlight” in the dance world and believes that the performing arts can inspire people to take action.

The problem of plastic waste is a pressing one. According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), plastic waste has doubled globally in the past 20 years, and only 9 percent of it is successfully recycled. The United Nations predicts that the volume of plastic entering the oceans will nearly triple (成为三倍) by 2040.

K-Ballet plans to keep its costumes and set design for at least a year with the hope of restaging the show and after that, the bottles will be recycled by Shirai, a waste management company. The chow’s experience and message moved audience members who attended the performance. Ayumi Kisaki, a 30-year-old actor, said, “It’s an issue I don’t usually think about. But these dancers highlighting the issue of plastic call me and all of us to find ways to recycle and reuse the plastic.”