Meet-Velvet-SundownThe-AI-Music-Band-That's-Taking-Over-Spotify

Velvet Sundown: The AI-Generated Band Topping Spotify Without a Single Human Member 

An AI band with no gigs and an entirely fictional history has emerged as one of the fastest-rising acts on Spotify. Meet Velvet Sundown, the artificially created psychedelic rock band. 

This band already has more than one million monthly listeners within weeks. This raises very serious questions about authenticity, creativity, and the future of music in the AI era.

A Synthetic Sensation Is Born


Velvet Sundown suddenly emerged in June 2025 with the release of two full albums, Floating on Echoes and Dust and Silence. Subsequently, they announced the release of their third album, Paper Sun Rebellion, for the following month. 

While their Spotify bio does say that they incorporate 1970s psychedelic alternative rock and folk rock, as well as think about their music as incredibly smooth sounds with artificial intelligence-created photos, it raises eyebrows.

Despite the skeptics, they did end up with songs placed on some Spotify playlists like Vietnam War Music and Good Mornings- Happily Positive Music to Start the Day. 


Velvet Sundown teased their forthcoming album Paper Sun Rebellion with a cryptic, dreamlike tweet, erasing the boundary even further between digital art and emotional storytelling. ( source: NBC News)


The AI Behind the Music

Deezer, a competitor in the streaming service market, has confirmed that Velvet Sundown's tracks are artificially created. These songs are likely generated with a tool called Suno, an AI music generator that generates music from text input. 

The lyrics are vague but have a bit of a poetic flair (Dust on the wind / Boots on the ground / Smoke in the sky / No peace found")—typical output of a big language model that tries to be emotional but maintain some vagueness in the manner it is expressed.

Lead vocalist Gabe Farrow, guitarist Lennie West, synthesist Milo Rains, and drummer Orion Rio Del Mar are all fictional members of the band. The promotional pictures, which feature unnatural symmetry and abnormalities like burgers hovering in a photo celebrating their release, strongly suggest that they have been photoshopped by AI.

Confusion and the Start of Artistic Provocation

After weeks of rumors, Velvet Sundown's Spotify bio was changed to reflect that they were a synthetic music project under human creative guidance.  The surprise success of the band was supplemented by confusion with a hoax spokesperson, Andrew Frelon.

 This man pretended to be representing the band in interviews, then cited the hoax as an experiment with the media.

Reasons for Listener Indifference 

Velvet Sundown's success reveals a troubling trend: algorithmic listening to music. As Spotify makes the transition to AI-made playlists, the music is selected based on sonic compatibility rather than artistic intent. Music critics have lamented that their work is neither excellent nor bad; it simply lacks the qualities ideal for background listening by distracted listeners.

However, there is still hope. Human artists, such as Velvet Meadow's Kristian Heironimus, are speaking out: I have spent 6 years cultivating an audience, and an AI band obtains 500,000 listeners in weeks. Platforms like Deezer are already recognizing AI songs, while Spotify remains silent, raising concerns about fair compensation for human artists.

Conclusion: A Reflection of the Industry

Velvet Sundown is not just a band. It's a warning sign for the future of music. There is a diminishing difference between computer-created music and human-created music. It depends on the person who listens to and perceives this as creative or problematic is subjective.