Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix Backs Rock’s Pushback Against A.I. Music

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Published March 26, 2026 by Ned Tepper

Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix isn’t buying into the A.I. hype, while the tech world keeps pushing forward, he’s standing firmly with the human side of music, and he’s not alone.

Speaking with LA Lloyd, Shaddix reflected on how the band has weathered industry shifts before, from the collapse of CD sales to the streaming era, those moments hit hard:

“We were playing in front of just 500, 800 people,” he said, recalling a period after selling millions of records, but survival came down to grit and connection, not trends (per Blabbermouth).

Now, with A.I. creeping into songwriting and production, he sees another turning point.

“I think now, at this point, we’re at another kind of strange time in music where this A.I. element is coming through,” Shaddix said. “But then there’s this hopeful element in it that I feel.”

‘There’s room for the human in that’

Rather than panic, Shaddix frames A.I. as a choice, real versus artificial and connection versus convenience.

“A.I. is really essentially studying us. It’s a study of us,” he explained. “And how does it regurgitate us back at us in a generic way?”

For him, rock fans aren’t easily fooled. “I love the pushback from rock culture against it,” he said. “I think that a lot of people in rock culture can smell it… they’re, like, ‘Ah, that ain’t it.'”

That pushback has already shaped Papa Roach’s recent output, their latest single ‘Wake Up Calling’ strips things back, ditching drum samples for something more immediate and real.

“There’s no samples on the drums in that song. It’s just raw drums.”

Stripping it back

Shaddix admits the band leaned heavily into tech over the years, but something started to feel off, it was too polished and safe.

“Technology’s been a fun thing for us to experiment with, but I feel like it’s gotten us to a point where things started to feel a bit more homogenized,” he said.

The response? Pull it back, make it messy and human again.

Papa Roach’s recent run suggests that approach is landing, between ‘Wake Up Calling’, a massive 2026 touring cycle, and a catalogue that still hits where it hurts, they’re not chasing relevance. They’re tightening their grip on it.