> I'd still like to know why the Castrati sound has
> become a thing?

Unusuality? ABBA and Lordy made good use of the surprise factor in previous years, as did Ian Anderson in using a 5/4 time signature when he wrote "Living in the Past".

> They'd be as well using AI.

Why use Artificial Incompetence when the natural version has been so profitably prolific :-( ?