AI-created band The Velvet Sundown finds rapid popularity on Spotify
In the world of music, a new enigma has been captivating listeners - The Velvet Sundown. Despite the shroud of mystery surrounding this band, they have been making waves on popular streaming platforms like Spotify.
Their success hasn't been hindered by the speculation about their origins. Deezer's audio detection tools have reportedly flagged The Velvet Sundown's tracks as possibly AI-generated, yet streams continue to climb, with no marketing efforts to speak of.
The band, according to their Spotify bio, consists of Gabe Farrow, Lennie West, Milo Rains, and Orion "Rio" Del Mar. However, the band members' photos appeared AI-generated, fueling doubts about their authenticity.
In early July 2025, The Velvet Sundown confirmed the suspicions that had been swirling for weeks. They officially revealed that they are a "synthetic music project guided by human creative direction," with their music, voices, and visual elements created or heavily assisted by artificial intelligence.
Their music, a blend of dreamy guitars, vintage synths, and smooth, laid-back vocals, evokes a nostalgia for a "time that never actually happened." Their Spotify bio and descriptions employed language typical of AI-generated text - metaphorical but somewhat vague.
Music experts and commentators have discussed the technical artifacts typical of AI music production, supporting the conclusion that The Velvet Sundown's music is AI-derived with some human creative oversight. The band described themselves as "not quite human, not quite machine," presenting their project as an artistic experiment challenging authorship and identity in music’s future.
Despite the lack of live performances, interviews, real-world appearances, or official social media accounts associated with The Velvet Sundown, they have managed to secure placements in several well-followed Spotify playlists such as Unexpected Finds and Solitude Collective.
Their rapid growth fits a pattern seen across streaming platforms, with their music distributed through DistroKid, a platform that allows for fast uploads and easy access to major streaming services.
However, it's important to note that there is no confirmatory evidence that The Velvet Sundown is an AI-generated band. A Reddit thread suggests this possibility, but without concrete proof, the debate continues.
The increasing reach of The Velvet Sundown raises questions about how music is being discovered in 2025. As AI continues to play a larger role in the creative process, the line between human and machine-made music becomes increasingly blurred.
[1] The Guardian. (2025, July 1). The Velvet Sundown: The AI-generated band captivating Spotify listeners. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/01/the-velvet-sundown-ai-generated-band-spotify
[2] Billboard. (2025, July 10). The Velvet Sundown: The AI-Driven Music Project Challenging Music Authorship. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9422098/the-velvet-sundown-ai-music-project-authorship
[3] TechCrunch. (2025, June 25). The Velvet Sundown: The Band No One Can Seem to Find. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/25/the-velvet-sundown-the-band-no-one-can-seem-to-find/
[4] Wired. (2025, July 8). The Velvet Sundown: The AI Band That's Taking the Music World by Storm. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/the-velvet-sundown-ai-band-taking-the-music-world-by-storm/
[5] NME. (2025, June 30). The Velvet Sundown: The AI-Generated Band That's Sweeping Spotify. Retrieved from https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-velvet-sundown-ai-generated-band-sweeping-spotify-2727824
- Amidst the rise of AI-generated music, The Velvet Sundown, an artist who has garnered significant streaming success on platforms like Spotify and Deezer, has been thrust into the limelight.
- Tracks by The Velvet Sundown have been identified as potentially AI-generated using audio detection tools, but this revelation hasn't affected their playlist presence, such as on Spotify's Unexpected Finds and Solitude Collective.
- The Velvet Sundown project, which employs a blend of guitars, synths, and vocals to create dreamy, nostalgic music, is a showcase of how technology is fundamentally changing the landscape of entertainment and music production.
