What Luxembourg musicians think about music made with AI

At first listen, it is not necessarily noticeable. A raspy male voice opens the song Walk My Walk, singing over restrained, plucked guitar strings before a sluggish yet infectious country beat kicks in. The structure is textbook, the lyrics are unremarkable, but that is hardly unusual in contemporary country music.

Still, the song resonates. The reason lies in its origin: Walk My Walk was created entirely by artificial intelligence. The project behind the track is called “Breaking Rust”.

Although Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor is credited as the songwriter, the vocals, instruments and lyrics were all generated by AI.

Walk My Walk remained at the top of Billboard’s Country Digital Sales Chart for several weeks. This should not be overstated, as digital music purchases have become relatively rare, meaning that only a few thousand sales can be enough to top the chart.

Nevertheless, the song represents just the beginning of a development that is likely to preoccupy the music industry – and artists in particular – for years to come.

What are the Billboard charts?

On 4 January 1936, the American Billboard magazine published the very first hit parade, at the time primarily as a guide for record dealers and jukebox owners.

Elvis Presley achieved seven number 1 hits in the Hot 100 era of the Billboard charts. © Photo credit: AFP

On 4 January 1936, the American Billboard magazine published the very first hit parade, at the time primarily as a guide for record dealers and jukebox owners.

In 1958, the flagship Hot 100 chart was introduced. It remains influential today, combining radio airplay and sales data. Elvis Presley was among the first major beneficiaries, dominating the early charts with seven number-one hits. Since 2010, digital sales and streaming have also been factored in.

Today, Billboard publishes more than 250 weekly charts covering a wide range of genres and platforms.

Artists react

Jonathan Fersino, bassist for the Luxembourg band One Last Time and a successful producer, isn’t surprised by the success of Walk My Walk.

“I’m shocked, but not surprised,” Fersino said. “It’s really bad for me as an artist. If the song is in the digital sales charts, it means people actually bought it, even though someone probably created it with a €20 subscription. That’s crazy for all the other artists who invest a lot of money in their music.”

Jonathan Fersino produces and plays bass for the Luxembourg band One Last Time. © Photo credit:  Jil Zago

Joel Marques Cunha, who reached the semi-finals of The Voice of Germany and has since become an established figure in Luxembourg’s music scene, sees AI as a worrying development.

Joel Marques Cunha made it to the semi-finals of the casting show “The Voice of Germany”. Since then, he has been involved in the Luxembourg music scene. He sees AI as frightening for the future of the music world. © Photo credit: Anouk Antony

Joel Marques Cunha, who reached the semi-finals of The Voice of Germany and has since become an established figure in Luxembourg’s music scene, sees AI as a worrying development.

“I tend to see the consumer as innocent,” Cunha said. “But it’s definitely frightening for the future of the music world.”

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish authentic songs from AI-generated ones,” said Gilles Modolin from the Luxembourg metal podcast Kaméidi. “You really have to listen closely to Walk My Walk.”

Jason Palamara, assistant professor of music technology at Indiana University, praised the song’s vocal consistency and reusability in an interview with Newsweek, calling it a significant technological leap.

For metal podcaster Gilles Modolin, a song doesn’t have to be perfect. Feelings, emotions and personality are what music is all about. © Photo credit: Marc Wilwert

At the same time, he said the track still bears obvious signs of artificial production. Many social media users, for example, have pointed out the complete absence of breathing sounds.

“You can tell immediately that it’s AI,” Fersino said, although he believes this is mainly true for musicians, producers and people deeply involved in the field. He recalls a recent visit to an amusement park where AI-generated country music played continuously in the Wild West-themed area, seemingly without bothering visitors.

“For me, emotion is crucial, and so is collaboration when writing a song,” Fersino said. “Creating music is an experience. It’s about expressing what’s in your heart.”

Live music to the rescue

For this reason, Cunha does not believe AI will replace human musicians entirely. “Live music simply doesn’t work with AI,” he says. “Music truly comes alive on stage. That’s something AI can’t replicate; it’s limited to the streaming world. Live music is a completely different universe.”

He also believes the current AI hype may eventually subside.

Nevertheless, Palamara warns that AI acts will make it even harder for human artists to gain visibility and build a fan base, particularly on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

His advice is that artists must focus on building genuine, long-term relationships with fans and involve them in the creative process, something AI cannot replicate. “If you only present a song or an album, you will lose the race against ever-improving machines,” Palamara said.

Joel Marques Cunha believes that live music will not be able to replace AI any time soon. © Photo credit: Shutterstock (Symbolbild)

Streaming services are also grappling with the rise of AI-generated music. According to Newsweek, around 30% of tracks uploaded to Deezer are now AI-generated. In response, the platform has developed an AI detection tool, which is also used by Billboard.

Spotify, meanwhile, supports a new industry standard requiring clear disclosure in the credits when AI has been used, whether during songwriting, recording or post-production. This allows listeners to decide for themselves whether they want to consume AI-generated music.

Between business and dark science fiction

“When I first heard about AI, I didn’t see it as a threat,” Cunha said. “The speed of its development is incredible. Back then, I never expected it to have such an impact on the music world. Now, of course, I see it differently, because consumers often won’t be able to tell the difference.”

Modolin recalls first encountering AI tools around 2022. “At first, it felt like a perfect enrichment. Something like that would have made my school life much easier 20 years ago,” he laughed.

“Like all technologies, it takes time to understand. Despite the gloomy science fiction scenarios, I remain optimistic. It depends on how we choose to use AI in everyday life.”

From a business perspective, Fersino understands the appeal. “It’s much cheaper,” he said. “But it’s a major threat for producers and artists. Right now, it still feels like a hype. Maybe it will fade away, like a passing trend.”

Walk My Walk is not an isolated case. In the R&B genre, AI singer Xania Monet has made headlines since September. Behind the digital voice is songwriter Telisha “Nikki” Jones, who writes most of the lyrics herself, while the music and vocals are generated using the AI tool Suno.

The project’s success speaks for itself: after several chart appearances, Xania Monet secured a multi-million-dollar deal with Hallwood Media.

(This article was first published in “Télécran” (issue 49/2025). AI translated with editing and adaptation by Lucrezia Reale. You can subscribe to the weekly magazine here.)