AI Christian Singer Solomon Ray Tops Charts, Sparking Ethical Debate in Gospel Music

AI Christian 'singer' Solomon Ray tops the charts, stirs ethical debate

Solomon Ray became the top artist on the iTunes Top 100 Christian and gospel albums chart last week. But there's something that may bother you about the Christian artist: He is not human. According to Christianity Today, Ray was entirely created by artificial intelligence. That includes his voice, performance style, lyrics and persona. His most recent album is called "A Soulful Christmas," and it features tracks with titles like "Soul to the World" and "Jingle Bell Soul." AI-generated music is a new frontier Solomon Ray is not unique. AI-generated music is a new frontier in the entertainment world, and artists, industry insiders, and consumers are trying to adapt. Earlier this month, Xania Monet became the first AI-powered virtual artist to debut on a Billboard airplay chart. That sparked debate about the role of technology in the music industry. Some platforms are taking actions. In September, Spotify announced protections against the impersonation of artists and deceptive content. The company acknowledged both the positive and negative sides of AI in music. "At its best, AI is unlocking incredible new ways for artists to create music and for listeners to discover it," Spotify said. "At its worst, AI can be used by bad actors and content farms to confuse or deceive listeners, push 'slop' into the ecosystem, and interfere with authentic artists working to build their careers. Christian singer Forrest Frank addressed the ethical pitfalls of AI in a social media post where he warned consumers. "At minimum, AI does not have the Holy Spirit inside of it," Frank said. "So I think that it's really weird to be opening up your spirit to something that has no spirit." How is AI-generated music made? AI-generated music is produced using algorithms that learn patterns from huge amounts of musical data. From this training, the AI can create new melodies, harmonies, rhythms, lyrics, or even full songs on its own. Some AI tools make music from scratch, others help musicians co-compose, and others allow people with no musical background to create professional-quality tracks.

The No. 1 Christian artist topping the charts has no soul -- thanks...

An AI-generated Christian artist named Solomon Ray has taken the gospel music world by storm after topping the iTunes and Billboard charts with his album "Faithful Soul." Described as a "Mississippi-made soul singer carrying a Southern soul revival into the present" on his Spotify profile, Ray made waves after releasing the five-song EP on Nov. 7. The record rose to No. 1 on the iTunes Top 100 Christian and Gospel Albums chart within days, and two songs from the project - "Find Your Rest" and "Goodbye Temptation" - currently sit at No. 1 and No. 2 on Billboard's Gospel Digital Song Sales chart, respectively. "Lord, I'm tired from all this stressing / Too weak to count my blessings / Ain't got time for window dressing / Just tryna keep my soul intact," Ray's song "Find Your Rest," which has nearly a million listens on Spotify, begins. "I've been running hard, feet on fire / Dreams and duty tangled in wire / But when my strength starts slipping away / I still hear your voice saying," the generic tune, which is rooted in the soul and gospel traditions, continues. The song's chorus lacks the creative choices, heart and soul that listeners hear in popular human gospel singers like Brandon Lake, Forrest Frank and Torey D'Shaun. "Don't grow weary in well-doing / Get those problems off your chest / Cast your cares on my shoulders / And I'll give you rest," the chorus goes. Ray is depicted in several AI images and videos as a man wearing a gold cross necklace, a white collared shirt, a suit and a tan fedora. "With a voice like weathered velvet and a storyteller's cadence, he sings as if he's testifying from experience: part Sunday-morning conviction, part Saturday-night grit," the verified artist's Spotify profile notes. However, Ray did not appear out of the blue. Conservative hip-hop artist Christopher "Topher" Townsend identified himself as "the man behind the machine" in a video shared to Instagram on Nov. 19. But Ray's success in topping the iTunes and Billboard charts has sparked a debate in the gospel community and beyond regarding the ethics of using AI to create music. Forrest Frank, whose hit song "Your Way's Better" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart earlier this year, took to social media to argue that Ray doesn't have a soul and therefore Ray's songs don't count as art. "At minimum, AI does not have the Holy Spirit inside of it," Frank, 30, said. "So I think that it's really weird to be opening up your spirit to something that has no spirit." Townsend later fired back in an Instagram video of his own. "This is an extension of my creativity, so therefore to me it's art," Townsend said following the backlash against his AI creation. "It's definitely inspired by a Christian. It may not be performed by one, but I don't know why that really matters in the end." Another musician named Solomon Ray, who is a real human and works as a worship leader, spoke out following the AI singer's success as well. After receiving messages from friends about topping the Christian charts, this Ray addressed the AI elephant in the room. "There's something in the high end of the vocals that gives it away," he said, according to Christianity Today. "And the creative choices sound like AI. It's so precise that it's clear no creative choices are really being made." "How much of your heart are you pouring into this?" he added. "If you're having AI generate it for you, the answer is zero. God wants costly worship." Other gospel music fans rushed to the comments section of one of Ray's songs to slam the surprising use of AI behind the Christian hit. "AI... no thanks, there are plenty of real singers I can support," one person wrote. "Not all y'all in the comments not realizing this is an AI video and an AI voice singing," added another. "We are doomed." "Guys, this is AI! No spirit in it sadly," commented a third, while a fourth shared, "This AI is drawing people away from real Christian singers. Don't be sucked in. Be aware in these last days." The Post has reached out to Townsend, Apple Music and Billboard for comment. This wouldn't be the first time that an AI artist caused a stir within the music industry. Breaking Rust, another computer-generated singer created by the unknown songwriter Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor, made headlines earlier this month when his song "Walk My Walk" topped the Billboard Country Digital Song Sales chart. Like Solomon Ray, Breaking Rust received mixed reactions from fans and experts. Singer Breland called the AI artist's success and popularity "a bad sign for the future of music" in a statement to The Post, while music software specialist Jason Palamara warned that AI "will have a corrosive effect on the whole industry." Spotify, meanwhile, insisted that it is committed to "providing listeners with more transparency" despite the concerning rise of AI artists on the platform. "We support artists' freedom to use AI creatively while actively combating its misuse by content farms and bad actors," a Spotify spokesperson told The Post. "Spotify does not create or own music," the company continued, "this is a platform for licensed music where royalties are paid based on listener engagement, and all music is treated equally, regardless of the tools used to make it." As for Billboard, they acknowledged that neither Solomon Ray nor Breaking Rust would be the first computer-generated artist to chart in recent months. "AI music is no longer a fantasy or niche curiosity among internet sleuths. It's here, and it's already beginning to have an impact on Billboard's charts," Billboard said in a statement on Nov. 4. "In just the past few months, at least six AI or AI-assisted artists have debuted on various Billboard rankings," it continued. "That figure could be higher, as it's become increasingly difficult to tell who or what is powered by AI -- and to what extent."