Velvet Sundown: Meet the first AI band making ‘real’ noise
Step aside, autotune. The future of music isn’t just robotic—it is a robot.
Meet Velvet Sundown, the world’s first AI-generated band that just dropped its debut album, and somehow, it slaps.
Their music? Think moody synths, dreamy guitars, and lyrics that sound like Lana Del Rey's melancholy met an art student in Berlin. It's hazy, hypnotic, and—yup—completely artificial. And yet, it hits in a weirdly human way. Like, “did ChatGPT just write a breakup anthem I relate to?” kind of human.
Who’s pulling the guitar strings?
No official credits, no press releases, no behind-the-scenes documentaries—Velvet Sundown seems to have materialized fully formed out of the AI ether. While some speculate that an Australian creative director named Michael Killen might be behind the curtain, nothing has been confirmed.
What is clear is that a full suite of AI tools likely brought the project to life: ChatGPT for lyrics, Sunō or Udio for music, Midjourney for visuals, and Runway for video. Whoever’s responsible, they’ve managed to rack up over half a million Spotify streams without revealing a single human face.
🔍 What the press is saying…
TechRadar reports they’re verified on Spotify but suspects they’re entirely AI-generated—from photos to bios and album art. The outlet found no evidence of real members or real media presence.
Music Ally / Musically.com noted they’ve amassed 325k+ monthly listeners without interviews, concerts, or any independent digital footprint. All promotion appears algorithmically driven via anonymous playlists.
Why it matters
Velvet Sundown is more than a novelty. It’s a sneak peek into where music—and maybe all creative industries—are headed. Full bands that don’t need sleep, tour buses, or therapy? Kinda genius. Also, kinda terrifying.
It challenges what we consider “real” music. Is it the soul behind the sound? The story behind the songwriter? Or can a synthetic mind still make something that moves us?
Velvet Sundown is like: Why not both?
