LOS ANGELES (AP) — A digital country song titled “Walk My Walk” recently reached the top spot on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart. Interestingly, it was attributed to a fictional performer named Breaking Lust, a created white avatar that didn’t even exist until a couple of months ago.
However, the essence of the song—the way it’s sung, its melodies, and overall style—comes from a real individual. That individual is a Grammy-nominated country artist, Blanco Brown, known for his collaborations with big names like Britney Spears, Childish Gambino, and Rihanna.
And here’s the kicker—he was completely unaware of this. “I only found out about the song when friends started reaching out to me,” Brown, who made waves in 2019 with his country-rap hit “The Git Up,” shared. His surprise was compounded when his phone buzzed non-stop with inquiries.
“My phone kept dying,” he recalled, adding that a friend notified him, “Someone used your name in an AI to create a white version of you. They just swapped out Brown for Blanco.”
This scenario is just one example of how generative AI is shaking up the music industry. It enables anyone to whip up what appears to be original songs by inputting a few words in a chat box, often using models trained on the styles of real artists, typically without their consent.
The playful track “Walk My Walk” credits Aubiere Rivaldo Taylor among its creators, and platforms like Apple Music and Spotify list him as the songwriter and producer.
Recently, Taylor has also collaborated with Defbeatsai, a social media phenomenon among AI-generated country acts that emerged in recent months.
Interestingly, the Defbeatsai movement ties back to someone from Brown’s past: Abraham Abushmais. Brown once jokingly referred to him as “Abe Einstein” due to his sharp instincts in the studio. Abushmais co-wrote several tracks on Brown’s 2019 album and played a crucial role in developing the Echo.
While Brown didn’t know about his name being used in this AI project, he has lost touch with Abushmais. “Abe’s number has changed,” he mentioned. “We used to communicate regularly, but it’s been a while.” Abushmais has not replied to attempts to reach him.
The digital figure behind “Walk My Walk,” modeled after Brown’s vocals but presented as a white country singer, turned a bizarre moment into something unsettling.
“It’s a white AI imitating a Black voice,” Brown remarked, describing it as reminiscent of a spiritual. But this unsettling revelation led him to action; he headed into the studio and recorded a cover of his song, released just last week. He plans to put out a new version with updated lyrics and arrangement soon.
Brown’s team emphasized that the singer’s actions challenge the murky legal and ethical landscape surrounding AI-generated music. He aims to draw attention to questions about ownership and rights concerning art when technology seems to infringe on the rights of its human creators.
“If anyone is going to sing like me, that should be me,” he asserted.
As new styles of hits evolve more rapidly than the industry can adapt, it’s clear to musicians and educators that AI-generated music has transformed from a mere online curiosity into a genuine disruptor.
“We’re stepping into unfamiliar and unprecedented territory, both creatively and industrially,” remarked Josh Antonuccio, director of the Ohio University Music Industry Summit. “AI has fundamentally democratized music production.”
Yet, this democratization comes without safeguards. Major record labels are now taking legal action against AI song generators like Suno and Udio for allegedly training their programs using copyrighted music without permission.
“These entities trained their platforms on a massive amount of recorded music without consent,” Antonuccio explained. “Creators may find themselves in a confusing limbo where compensation isn’t forthcoming.”
Some labels are shifting from lawsuits to negotiations. Recently, Universal Music Group reached a settlement with Udio and entered a licensing agreement. Following their lead, Warner Music Group announced a unique partnership with Suno to develop licensed AI music that can both compensate and protect artists.
“Currently, there’s no accountability in place,” he emphasized.
The sudden popularity of “Walk My Walk” raises questions about the technology enabling it. Educators note that most commercially successful AI vocals are produced through systems like Suno and Udio, allowing users to specify genres, vocal styles, and lyrical ideas to generate songs.
For Brown, this situation touches on legal and cultural themes. Navigating the country music scene as a Black artist blending various genres hasn’t come easy for him. Despite a Grammy nomination and backing from the Recording Academy, country radio has yet to embrace him fully.
Yet, an AI-generated song built on his voice reached number one immediately. Brown sees this as part of a troubling trend in Nashville, where the contributions of Black artists have historically needed reassessment.
“They took my sound and put a white face on it,” he said. “Race is a significant factor in Nashville.”
While AI tools approximate sound well, they fall short of capturing the artist’s essence. “Real artistry conveys emotions that machines simply can’t replicate,” asserted Grammy-nominated pianist and Dean of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, Shelton “Shelley” Berg. After participating in a panel about the future of music at the Grammy Museum, he remarked, “The energy between a performer and an audience is something you can’t replicate digitally.”
Brown isn’t against AI. He holds no animosity toward Abushmais either—he’s flattered someone was inspired by his sound. Still, he understands what this situation reveals.
For him, an AI artist built on his tone highlights a broader lesson learned repeatedly in Nashville: talent and the value the industry places on it often diverge. “I experience this regularly with actual people who either steal or borrow from my work,” Brown said. “Whether it’s a person or a machine doesn’t change that.”
Amid a rapidly changing environment, Brown believes one key advantage remains for artists that machines can’t replicate. “Real artists will always find a way,” he affirmed. “Purpose thrives where greed cannot.”
