Grimes Reveals Why Elon Musk Won't Feature on Her New Album as She Draws a Line Under Their Past

Grimes is returning with a new album that explores artificial intelligence, technology, and personal experience. But the Canadian musician says she deliberately avoided making her former relationship with Elon Musk the focus of the first part of Psy Opera, choosing to lead with the technological questions she considers particularly relevant.

During an appearance on Swiftologist's Proto Pop podcast on 11 October, Grimes explained how she divided the project between concept-driven music and a more personal second instalment. Her comments offer insight into her creative priorities as she prepares to release her first album since 2020's Miss Anthropocene.

Why Grimes Didn't Want Psy Opera to Be About Elon Musk

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, said the balance between the project's two parts had become clearer as she worked on the second instalment.

'I sort of wish I mixed it up with the second album more, 'cause the second album is, like, 100% personal, really,' she said.

Explaining her approach, she added: 'I just didn't want any of this to be about Elon.'

Asked whether the scrutiny surrounding her personal life made confessional songwriting difficult, Grimes rejected that explanation. 'Not at all. I just—they couldn't come first,' she replied, adding that she felt the technology-focused material was particularly relevant.

She nevertheless expressed some regret about how she had distributed those themes. She said she wished the first part had more emotion and the second more computer-related material.

Her comments describe a decision about the order and emphasis of the music, rather than a promise to exclude personal experiences from the entire project. The second instalment was still being worked on when the interview took place.

Revisiting Grimes and Elon Musk's Relationship

Grimes and Musk made their public debut as a couple at the Met Gala in May 2018. Their relationship brought together two figures already well known in different fields: experimental pop music and the technology industry.

The former couple share three children. Musk described them as 'semi-separated' in September 2021, while Grimes later characterised their relationship as 'very fluid' in an interview published by Vanity Fair in March 2022.

When that interview appeared, Grimes clarified that they had broken up again since it was conducted. The changing descriptions of their relationship attracted considerable attention, but her latest podcast appearance focused on her music and creative process rather than revisiting that history.

What Grimes Revealed About Her AI-Inspired Album

Grimes discussed Psy Opera with Interview magazine in April 2026, revealing that she had recorded an AI-themed album. Songs mentioned at the time included The Light Ages and Eve Is Online.

The lead single, Accelerando, was released on 9 October. Its title may reference the 2005 science-fiction novel of the same name, although that connection has not been confirmed.

The accompanying video features Grimes wrapped in chains, depicted as being burned at the stake and wielding a gun during an android battle. Those images introduce the dystopian atmosphere surrounding the album's release campaign.

A press release quoted by Pitchfork says Psy Opera will explore AI debates, war, relationships, online beauty culture and religion. Neither the first instalment nor the second has an announced release date.

Grimes Explains Her Complex Relationship With Artificial Intelligence

Grimes' interest in AI extends beyond using it as a subject for songwriting. In 2023, she offered to share 50% of royalties from successful AI-generated songs using her voice.

On Proto Pop, she also discussed DeepSeek, a song incorporating material from a poem generated by the AI model. Grimes said she had written roughly half of the lyrics herself and described the generated poem as unusually emotive.

She said including that material was intended to make an artistic point, rather than simply outsource the writing process. The discussion distinguished between exploring AI through music and endorsing every application of the technology.

Grimes also connected her writing to contemporary science fiction, describing how the genre had helped her find a fresh lyrical style. For her, the technology themes offer a way to explore human feelings and the pressures of the wider culture, not merely the capabilities of machines.

An Independent Return to Music

Psy Opera will be Grimes' first album on her own label, Nazgul Recording LLC, following her departure from Columbia Records.

During the podcast, she discussed the creative compromises she associated with a major-label deal and her decision to return to an independent approach. She also said motherhood had changed how she worked, leaving less time to handle every aspect of production herself.

The forthcoming release therefore marks both a return to albums and a change in how she makes them. By putting the technology-focused material first, Grimes is giving those ideas their own space before turning to the more personal music planned for the second instalment.