AI-generated song tops global iTunes chart as the popularity of AI music hits a new milestone

An artificial intelligence-generated R&B song titled 'Celebrate Me' has risen to the summit of the global iTunes chart. In a news shared by the Pop culture news platform Popbase, the song by an AI artist called IngaRose is currently attracting more purchases than any other record in the world.

This is the latest in the growing popularity and success of AI-generated music. In 2025, several AI-generated songs enjoyed chart success on the Billboard chart, especially on the genre charts, where R&B and Country AI-generated songs have found a growing audience.

In 2025, the AI-generated artist Xania Monet hit song ‘Let Go, Let God,’ debuted at NO. 25 on the Emerging Talents list and reached No. 21 on the Hot Gospel Songs. Another major AI breakthrough on the Billboard chart is the AI-generated artist Breaking Rust, whose song 'Living on Borrowed Time' reached the top of the Country Digital Song Sales chart and debuted at No. 9 on the Emerging Artists chart. The song has also garnered 25 million Spotify streams.

In 2025, the AI artist Xania Monet penned a $3 mllion record deal, which sparked criticisms from Grammy-winning R&B star Kehlani. Writer Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a poet and designer, is behind the songwriting and uses the AI platform Suno to create the rest of the music after writing the lyrics. Jones has defended Xania Monet from criticisms and argued that the AI-artist is just like other human artists.

Despite the opposition of AI music among several artists who have been critical of the growing popularity of artificial intelligence in music making, the technology continues to become more popular among consumers and even companies.

While the world's leading record labels have pushed back at the unlicensed use of their music by AI companies to train their AI models, all of the majors have now reached settlements that represent a significant shift towards backing the authorised use of copyrighted music to train AI to make music like humans.

In 2025, the big three record labels, Universal Music Group (UMG), Warner Music Group (WMG), and Sony Music Entertainment (SME), all signed licensing agreements with AI music startup Klay Vision.

In November 2025, Warner Music Group also signed a licensing partnership with generative AI music platform Suno, which UMG earlier sued for the unlicensed use of copyright materials to train their AI models.

Even in Nigeria, AI-generated music has enjoyed some popularity, with the most notable being the viral AI remix of singer Fave's single 'Intentions,' which compelled her to officially release this version in collaboration with the AI choir group Urban Chords.

Musicians have been critical of the growing popularity of AI-generated music, which is set to further threaten the earning power of human artists, especially since AI can release music at incomparable speed.

As AI music-generating models are improving and blurring the lines between what is real and artificial, streaming platforms are beginning to act.

Earlier in 2026, Apple Music announced a policy that will require AI-generated songs to carry a tag identifying them as such. This is expected to help users distinguish between songs from human artists and those that are AI-generated.