Darius Rucker: AI Is ‘Scary,’ PGA Merged With ‘The Enemy’

Darius Rucker was the surprise guest at CMA Fest last night (6/8) at Nissan Stadium. Before he stepped on stage to perform, Darius talked with us backstage about some things in the news these days.

First, Rucker talked about new AI technology and Chat GPT, which can write a song in less than 60 seconds for anyone when just a few words are typed into the prompter. He said, "I think people are gonna use it and everything for songwriting. Technology is just way in front of me, so I don't think about those things. I'm gonna keep doing things the way I do it and writing songs the way I write songs and let the chips fall where they may."

He added, "But that AI thing is scary, man. I'm gonna wake up one day and have a robot standing over me. (laugh) It's scary, but technology can be that way."

Darius also touched on the recent controversy in pro golf, where the PGA merged with the controversial LIV Golf, which is backed by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, an entity controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A personal friend to many pro golfers like Tiger Woods, Rucker said when asked about the merger, "I'm a big PGA supporter, and I understand money talks in every business. But I feel bad for Rory (Mcllroy) and Tiger, who turned down huge sums of money to be loyal to the PGA, and the PGA just turns around and merges with the enemy. I feel bad for those guys because they gave away a lot of money because of their principles, and their principles meant nothing in the end."

Rucker's annual benefit concert, "Darius & Friends," has surpassed the $3.6 million mark with this year's 14th annual installment on Monday night (6/5). The event is paired with a corresponding golf tournament and silent auction on Tuesday, June 6. This year's event raised an all-time high of $560,000 for the cause.

The show was sold out well in advance despite the famous friends not being revealed until they took the stage; the guests included HARDY, Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, and Vince Gill.

Ed Sheeran is the latest pop star to consider a switch to country music, He performed a new song with his buddy Luke Combs at the ACM Awards last week (5/11) in Texas. Over the years, several pop or rock stars have tried their hand at country music.

Sheryl Crow released a country album a few years back. She never left Nashville, living in the community and performing at events and benefits despite the fact that her country music career never really took off. Cyndi Lauper recorded a country album in 2015 and spent some time in Nashville doing interviews. She talked about the country songs she leaned on throughout her life.

In 2013, Kelly Clarkson released a song just for country radio that never really had success called "Tie It Up." It was about getting married. Her marriage to Reba's stepson Brandon Blackstock, which she gushed about in an interview for the song, didn't make it either. They got divorced in 2020.

While many pop and rock stars have tried their hand at country music, only a few really made it all the way to becoming a country star. We wish Ed Sheeran well if he really wants to give country music a try. Here, we look at five pop and rock stars that had their sights set on country music superstardom.

In 2016, Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler signed with Nashville's Big Machine record label and released a solo country album called We're All Somebody From Somewhere. It didn't do much to bring the rocker into country music. But he didn't quit his day job - Aerosmith has just announced their farewell tour.

In the spring of 2012, Lionel Richie released a country album featuring many collaborations with country stars called Tuskegee. It featured Lionel's own popular songs with Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, and many more. The country album wasn't a huge hit, but it did start the friendship between him and his now fellow American Idol judge Luke Bryan.

Ed is just beginning his dip into country music. He performed a song called "Life Goes On" with Luke Combs at the ACM Awards show. Sheeran said he would like to move towards country music in the future.

Elle King has been very successful in her dive into country music as she has already charted two number-one country songs, one with Miranda Lambert, "Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home)," and "Different For Girls" with Dierks Bentley. King released her debut country album Come Get Your Wife in January. She is currently touring and has been embraced by the country music community and fans.

Darius has been the most successful pop/rock star that switched to country music. So far, he has released five country albums, charted eight number-one country songs, and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2012. He has been nominated for numerous country music awards and got a Country Grammy for Best Solo Country Performance for "Wagon Wheel" in 2013.