Juliet Russell: AI is "massive plagiarism at a commercial scale"

The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast has released a new episode featuring Juliet Russell, one of the UK’s leading vocal coaches, whose career has seen her work alongside Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Rowland and Sir Tom Jones on The Voice, and in the room with BRIT, Grammy, Emmy and MOBO Award winners.

A performance coach who has studied voice science at master’s level, Russell works with touring artists on everything from vocal stamina and health to artistry, expression and performance. She is also the creator of Do Your Sing, a vocal training app that grew out of the weekly online singing exercises she began sharing during lockdown.

Speaking to Blinding Talent founder Mark Adams, Russell explores what separates the greats from everyone else, arguing that it comes down to trusting your instrument.

Reflecting on her time alongside Hudson, Rowland and Jones, she explains why their advice carries so much weight:

“They’re not speaking from a place of ‘what I reckon’, they’re speaking from a place of deep personal knowledge.”

The conversation looks at the difference between a singer and an artist, and whether a creative mindset can be coached. Russell argues that talent is “almost like a seed that’s had the right environment to grow”, and that while many of the ingredients of creativity can be developed, passion cannot be taught. Along the way, she makes the case for protecting music education, warning that cutting school funding denies young people the chance to develop their talent.

Using Adele, RAYE and Rosalía as examples, Russell explains why the most memorable voices combine technical skill with emotional truth, and why chasing perfection can get in the way of connection.

“Emotion isn’t perfect. Humans aren’t perfect.”

Asked whether you can be a great artist with an average voice, she says authenticity matters more than vocal power:

“I think it’s more about truth, authenticity, relatability and connection than it is about vocal prowess.”

A major focus of the episode is the physical demands placed on artists who tour. Russell argues that singers should be treated like elite athletes, with the same level of preparation and support as a professional footballer, and offers practical advice on building stamina, warming up and cooling down, hydration, managing fatigue on the road and protecting the voice night after night.

“Singers are vocal athletes – touring singers definitely are.”

In the episode’s “Vocal Myths: True or False?” segment, Russell tackles some of the most common beliefs in singing, including honey and lemon, avoiding dairy before a gig, belting, drinking water just before going on stage and singing “from your diaphragm”.

The discussion also turns to artificial intelligence. While Russell sees a place for technology that makes creativity more accessible, she is critical of AI models trained on artists’ work without consent, calling it:

“It’s [AI] massive plagiarism at a commercial scale, when artists are already being squeezed quite heavily.”

She suggests AI could ultimately drive demand for live performance, because audiences still want to feel part of a shared, human experience.

Russell also talks about the thinking behind Do Your Sing, which features around 40 exercises across warm-ups, progression work, vocal effects and cool-downs, each with its own tutorial. The app is available now on iOS, with an Android release coming soon.

The episode closes with a quickfire round, in which Russell names her pick for an emerging artist to watch, Ruti, and shares her advice for every singer: