Musician Pheelz says music needs a soul and AI cannot compete with that

Toronto
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Nigerian producer-turned-artist Pheelz learned music in church, believing sound and spirit are inseparable — a core idea that shapes his argument about the rise of artificial intelligence in music: that true creativity requires soul, something technology cannot replicate.

Raised by a father who was a pastor in Nigeria, the musician grew up playing instruments in worship services and leading choirs, learning early that music carried energy, intention, and meaning beyond performance.

“Music is spiritual,” Pheelz told CNN’s Larry Madowo. “It’s energy. You’re combining energies together.”

The music industry is facing one of its most consequential shifts, as AI-generated songs increasingly populate streaming platforms and synthetic artists begin appearing on the charts. Opinions are polarizing around this change.

On platforms like Spotify, thousands of AI-generated tracks, often released under generic names and stock images, are optimized for playlists and algorithms. Some earn millions of streams before listeners learn there’s no human singer.

Spotify is moving toward AI transparency by putting voluntary AI disclosures into song credits and metadata — but not adding a big “AI” label on music tracks — while focusing on cutting spam and banning fake voice clones. Apple Music requires AI involvement to be disclosed in metadata at delivery, but it does not show that information in the app — keeping AI transparency largely behind the scenes.

Recently, AI-generated performers have even charted on Billboard, including genre-specific lists, showing how rapidly machine-made music has shifted from novelty to a commercial force.

With this evolving climate as a backdrop, Pheelz approaches that reality…

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