Section 5
interview
wendy starland
“ The world does not need another version of an artist that already exists. It needs the one and only version of you. ”
Kamil: If you could go back and give your younger self one piece of wisdom about pursuing music and mentorship, what would it be? Wendy: I would look her in the eyes and say: believe in yourself so completely and so fiercely that no outside voice, no matter how loud, can ever penetrate that belief. Because those voices will come. The doubt, the rejection, the people who cannot see what you see in yourself, they are an inevitable part of the journey. What separates the artists who make it from the ones who don’t is not talent alone. It is the ability to hold your vision so clearly, so unwaveringly, that every obstacle becomes something you move through rather than something that stops you. You are enough. You have always been enough. Every one of us carries a gift that is uniquely and entirely our own, and the world is genuinely waiting for you to share it. Never allow anyone to convince you to dim that light. Not for a single moment. Kamil: Looking ahead, what projects or collaborations are you most excited about — and what impact do you hope they have on your audience? Wendy: What excites me most right now is the launch of MusicSoul, because I genuinely believe it represents a turning point for how artists are compensated and celebrated in this industry. We are using AI as a powerful and purposeful tool to connect artists with brands, to reward fans for sharing music they love, to amplify charitable causes, and to create a sense of real community around the art. But what I am perhaps most proud of is the infrastructure I have spent years building around this vision with my business partner Aris Persidis. A system of synergistic businesses spanning television, virtual reality, technology, streaming, and granular data on the label side — all designed so that when I believe in an artist, I can act on that belief immediately and powerfully without waiting for anyone’s permission. That is the freedom that changes lives. My hope is that MusicSoul becomes the platform that proves artists can thrive financially while still creating with complete authenticity. That the two are not mutually exclusive and do not have to be in conflict. That is the future I am building toward. Kamil: After discovering Lady Gaga, many artists view you as a legend who can open doors to the music industry. How does that feel, and has it brought long-term opportunities for collaboration? Wendy: What I feel most profoundly is gratitude. Gratitude for having had the opportunity to recognize something extraordinary in Stefani Germanotta at a moment when the world had not yet
seen what she was capable of, and gratitude for the journey that discovery set in motion for her to become Lady Gaga. But I want to be clear: I do not carry the word legend around with me. What I carry is a deep sense of responsibility and an insatiable drive to keep creating, keep building, and keep opening doors for artists who deserve to be heard. That experience gave me the platform to mentor artists on Banded, to be inducted into the United Nations Council of Global Change, and ultimately to build MusicSoul with the credibility and conviction to say this industry can and must do better. Every opportunity that has come from that chapter of my life has been channeled directly back into the mission. That is what keeps me going. Not the accolades, but the impact. Kamil: What do you think about AI creating music? Is it a passing trend or a potential challenge for the music industry and young talent? Wendy: My perspective on AI is rooted in both pragmatism and deep conviction. AI is a tool, and the question is always who is wielding it and toward what purpose. I am using AI right now within MusicSoul to create a more intelligent, equitable, and personalized experience for both artists and audiences, and I believe that when technology is deployed in service of human creativity rather than as a replacement for it, extraordinary things become possible. But I also believe this with complete certainty: no algorithm will ever replicate the human soul that lives inside truly great music. When I discovered Lady Gaga, what moved me was not simply her voice. It was her presence, the ferocity of her work ethic, the authenticity she brought to every single performance. That is not something you can generate with code. The artists who will define this next era are the ones who embrace technology as a strategic advantage while continuing to pour irreplaceable humanity into everything they create. Artistry, strategy, and soul together. That is the combination that builds a legacy. AI can produce sound. It cannot produce that. I am the Managing Director of the Align AI Foundation. One of the questions we are asking ourselves is how humanity will adapt as AI no longer requires humans to interact with it because it is able to code itself without prompting. This type of AI has already begun replacing jobs. This is precisely why I am so excited to launch MusicSoul, which will create millions of jobs for musicians and content creators worldwide doing exactly what they love.
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DAVOS CLUB
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