Martina McBride

Martina McBride (b. 1966, Sharon, Kansas) is one of country music’s defining voices — a four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year with 14 Grammy nominations and anthems like “Independence Day” and “A Broken Wing” that made her a symbol of strength for a generation of listeners.

Taking the deepfake fight to Congress

On May 21, 2025, McBride testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law in support of the NO FAKES Act, a bipartisan bill creating the first federal protection against unauthorized AI replicas of a person’s voice and likeness. She described the prospect of scammers using a fake “Martina” to betray the trust of fans as terrifying, and urged Congress to pass a law that would “set America on the right course to develop the world’s best AI while preserving the sacred qualities that make our country so special: authenticity, integrity, humanity and our endlessly inspiring spirit.”

A week later she pressed the case in a Billboard guest column, warning that AI abuse can “steal people’s voices and likenesses to defraud families, manipulate the images of young girls, impersonate government officials or pose as artists like me,” and arguing the bill “gives every person the power to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ about how their most personal human attributes are used.” She has continued the campaign in interviews, warning fans about AI deepfake scams run in artists’ names.

McBride’s position is targeted rather than absolute: she calls AI “amazing” in legitimate hands and frames the NO FAKES Act as pro-innovation guardrails, aligning her with Randy Travis and the broader Nashville coalition behind federal likeness protections.