NEW YORK, United States — Music made with artificial intelligence is appearing on major and specialist charts across several countries.
By Tuesday, September 15, 2026, AI-generated or AI-assisted recordings had entered the Billboard Hot 100, topped American genre rankings, and reached charts in Britain, South Korea, and Africa.
The projects use the technology in different ways. Some pair human-written lyrics with synthetic singers and AI-generated compositions. Others place wholly artificial recordings behind fictional performers. Billboard has acknowledged that establishing whether a release uses AI, and to what extent, can be difficult.
An AI Recording Enters the Hot 100
“RUBBERZ”, released in June by the American rapper Fenix Flexin and producer Purps on the Beat, became the first known AI-generated recording to enter the Billboard Hot 100.
The synth-pop track peaked at No. 58 and had accumulated more than 35 million Spotify streams by August, according to The Guardian.
Flexin, previously known for his work with the hip-hop group Shoreline Mafia, initially said the song’s unusual vocal performance resulted from Auto-Tune and an adopted British accent. He later acknowledged using AI, while maintaining that the technology was not involved in the recording process.
Treblo, a generative-music platform, classified the track as highly likely to have been created with its system. The company’s detection tool has not been independently evaluated.
The track represents the highest known position for an AI-generated recording on America’s main singles chart. Earlier AI projects had largely been confined to digital-sales, genre, and emerging-artist rankings.
Afrobeats, R&B, and Country Record No. 1s
“The Second Voice”, an anonymous Afrobeats project, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart with “Let Me Be”. The song had previously led Britain’s Official Afrobeats Chart.
The project’s creator told World Music Views that he wrote and produced the track but used AI to generate its vocals. The song is distributed by Spinnin’ Records, a Warner Music Group company, and has surpassed 30 million streams on Spotify.
Conflicting accounts have emerged over the people involved in the release. Warner representatives have said that Elvin Cena, who appeared in a widely viewed video for the song, is not an official performer on the recording. Streaming credits identify Mwape Chishinka as a writer and background vocalist.
Xania Monet, a virtual R&B and gospel singer created by Mississippi songwriter Telisha “Nikki” Jones, has also appeared on several Billboard rankings.
Jones writes most of the project’s lyrics and uses Suno, along with assistance from human collaborators, to generate the recordings. “How Was I Supposed to Know?” topped R&B Digital Song Sales and reached No. 20 on Hot R&B Songs. Another track, “Let Go, Let God”, peaked at No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs.
Monet also became the first known AI-powered performer to enter a Billboard radio ranking when “How Was I Supposed to Know?” debuted at No. 30 on Adult R&B Airplay. Hallwood Media subsequently signed the project to a multimillion-dollar agreement, according to Billboard.
In country music, the fictional singer Breaking Rust reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart with “Walk My Walk”. The result made the project the first widely reported fully AI-generated act to lead a Billboard ranking, although the chart measures downloads rather than overall consumption.
The recording is credited to songwriter and producer Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor. Country musician Blanco Brown told The Associated Press that its vocal phrasing and musical style closely resembled his work, and that he had not been consulted.
Gospel Becomes a Growing AI Category
Gospel has become the fastest-growing genre among releases tracked by the Sonic Intelligence Academy, which operates charts devoted specifically to AI music.
Gospel’s share of 1,743 verified AI releases rose from 8.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 to 14 per cent by August. Gospel recordings also accounted for one-quarter of the leading songs during the final 10 weeks covered by the organisation’s mid-year report.
On the academy’s latest published gospel chart, dated for the week of September 8, “Girl, I Am Anointed” by Nyqki Nicole ranked first. “I Denounce You Satan” by Sheena Taylor and “I Speak Blessings” by Delana Hope followed in second and third place. These are specialist AI rankings and are separate from Billboard’s gospel charts.
Solomon Ray, a synthetic gospel and soul singer created by Christopher “Topher” Townsend, has achieved results on both specialist and Billboard rankings. “Find Your Rest” topped Gospel Digital Song Sales and reached No. 3 on Hot Gospel Songs. Ray’s Faithful Soul project also led Christian-music sales lists maintained by digital stores. Axios reported that Townsend used generative tools to build the project’s voice, music, lyrics, and visual identity.
AI-assisted rock projects have also entered Billboard’s narrower sales rankings. Unbound Music’s “You Got This” reached No. 10 on Rock Digital Song Sales, while Enlly Blue’s “Through My Soul” reached No. 15.
AI Music Reaches More National Charts
An AI-generated Afro-soul cover of Stromae’s “Papaoutai”, released by mikeeysmind, Chill77, and Unjaps, reached No. 7 on Nigeria’s Official Top 100 and entered the Billboard Global 200. TurnTable Charts identified it as the first AI-generated recording to enter the Nigerian chart’s Top 10.
In South Korea, “Forest of the Heart” by the YouTube channel Joseon Hiphop became the first generative-AI recording to enter Melon’s Top 100. The song peaked at No. 89 before leaving the chart two days later. Its creator wrote the lyrics, while Suno generated the composition and vocals, according to Korean media reports.
British soul project Eddie Dalton reached No. 2 on the Official Singles Sales Chart with “Another Day Old”. The song did not enter Britain’s main Official Singles Top 100, which combines streaming and sales. Official Charts Company records show that two other Dalton releases reached the sales chart’s Top 10.
IngaRose, a virtual inspirational-pop singer, topped Apple’s iTunes download rankings in the United States, Britain, France, Canada, and New Zealand in April with “Celebrate Me”. The project’s social-media account said its lyrics were written by a person, while Suno generated the music. The iTunes rankings reflect store purchases and are not national charts combining sales, streams, and radio activity.
Chart Organisations Introduce New Rules
Music platforms and chart organisations have begun developing separate policies for AI-generated recordings.
Billboard announced in August that it would identify the use of AI in charting releases and work with Luminate to improve detection. Spotify has introduced an “AI Persona” designation and said performers carrying the label would not be included in personalised recommendations.
Australia’s recording industry adopted stricter rules following questions about AI use in Josh Fawaz’s charting cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”. Beginning on August 31, the Australian Recording Industry Association excluded wholly AI-generated recordings from its charts and awards. AI-assisted music remains eligible when it is substantially created by people and does not involve unauthorised material or chart manipulation.
The new standards leave AI-assisted recordings eligible in several markets while drawing a distinction between technology used as a production tool and recordings generated principally by machines.
