Is the mysterious band on Spotify artificial intelligence?

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Creation Date: July 06, 2025 16:04

The group has denied the allegations on social media, but has not responded to requests for interviews. Add to that the fake spokesperson and confusing explanations, and the case has become even more mysterious.

FAKE WORD, FAKE ACCOUNTS

According to Rolling Stone magazine, a person named “Andrew Frelon” claimed to be the band’s spokesman and said that the music was generated by an artificial intelligence tool called Suno. However, Rolling Stone soon revealed that this person was also a fake and that he took on the role in order to deceive the media.

The Velvet Sundown made the following statement on their Spotify page: “We have no connection to this person. There is no evidence to confirm their identity or existence.” It was also stated that the alleged group account on the X (formerly Twitter) platform is fake.

ARE THE SONG LYRICS GENERATED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?

The lyrics in the band’s songs are also controversial. For example, lines like “eyes like film in faded light, dreams walk barefoot into the night” and “ash and velvet, smoke and flame, calling out in freedom’s name” could be both human-written and artificial intelligence-generated.

Spotify rival Deezer said its own AI detection tool flagged the music as “100% AI-generated.” Spotify did not comment on the matter.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek previously stated that he was not completely against artificial intelligence-generated music on the platform, but stated that productions that imitate real artists are unethical.

THE ART WORLD IS WORRIED

The effects of AI on the arts have long been a topic of debate, with the music industry in particular facing a backlash against artists being taught their work to AI models without their permission.

Sir Elton John and Dua Lipa have campaigned for legislation on AI and copyright in the UK, but this has failed. The government says it is currently running a separate consultation process on the issue.

Ed Newton-Rex, founder of Fairly Trained, which advocates for AI companies to respect artists, said the Velvet Sundown incident validated artists’ concerns: “Artists’ work is being stolen and then marketed as competition. This is straight up theft.”

Sophie Jones, Head of Strategy at the BPI (British Phonographic Industry), said stronger legal protections were needed: “This debate clearly shows why the music industry and artists are so concerned about AI and music rights.”