FILE - AI-music is gaining traction on the Billboard charts (Photo by Long Wei/VCG via Getty Images)
An AI-powered country song by the mystery band Breaking Rust has topped Billboard’s country digital sales chart.
"Walk My Walk" is the latest AI track to land on Billboard rankings. According to Billboard, at least seven AI or AI-assisted songs have spent time on the charts, but there could be more.
"Walk My Walk"
What we know:
In an interview with NPR, Whiskey Riff editor Aaron Ryan said Spotify lists the "Walk My Walk" artist as Breaking Rust, and the songwriter as Defbeatsai.
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The "catchy" lyrics include: "Ain’t slowing down, I was born to rise. So kick them rocks if you don’t like how I talk. I’m going to keep on talking and walk my walk."
What we don't know:
It’s still unclear who’s behind the AI-powered Deafbeatsai, Ryan said, but the backlash behind the AI mystery is real.
What they're saying:
"I think, especially in country music, it’s a little controversial right now … And I think that’s more so in country music than other genres, which have depended on computers a lot more.
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"Country music has really prided itself on the authenticity in songwriting and in music. And there’s a large segment of country music fans that don’t even like things like Auto-Tune, and so I think asking country fans and artists to accept AI is a big pill to swallow for a lot of people."
AI music gaining popularity
Big picture view:
According to Billboard, the AI-powered music trend is gaining traction as more mystery artists make their way to the charts.
Xania Monet, an AI-generated artist created by songwriter Telisha "Nikki" Jones, has appeared on multiple Billboard charts, including gospel and R&B.
Hallwood Media has signed Monet to a deal worth millions.
The backstory:
Other AI songs have appeared on Billboard’s rankings for Christian music and emerging artists, but Billboard points out that the trend isn’t as new as people may think.
In 2023, a parody AI project called Trump the Don, created by the rapper Hi-Rez, reached No. 5 on the rap and R&B/hip-hop digital sales charts with its song "First Day Out." The AI hit imitated President Donald Trump’s voice to make it sound like he was rapping. It came after his arrest in Georgia and the infamous mugshot that followed.
The Source: This report includes information from NPR, Whiskey Riff editor Aaron Ryan and Billboard.