What happens when music fans discover their new go-to praise and worship song, only for the song to be made by an AI-artist?
That’s the feeling some gospel fans are having as Solomon Ray, an AI-generated act based in Mississippi, currently holds the top two slots on the iTunes Christian Music chart and the No. 1 Christian album on the platform.
Ray is the first AI artist to have the No. 1 album and song on any iTunes chart. On Billboard, he has the No. 1 and No. 5 songs on the Gospel Digital Sales chart, leading many to wonder if the future of AI music is already here.
“At minimum, AI does not have the Holy Spirit inside of it,” Christian artist Forrest Frank said in a video shared to his Instagram account. “So I think that’s really weird to be opening up your spirit to something that has no spirit.”
Others quickly agreed and chimed in, saying they would no longer listen to the song or support music made by artificial intelligence. Soon after, Christopher Jermaine Townsend, the individual behind Solomon Ray, defended himself on his personal Instagram account, calling his work an extension of his creativity.
“It’s really more of a preference,” Townsend, who also records music under the moniker Topher said in his response to Frank while later calling him a “gatekeeper.” “You cannot tell somebodies feelings and impact from music if it’s authentic or fake/fraudulent. Who am I to say what God will or won’t use to get the message His people need to them?”
Townsend most notably gained followers on TikTok and is a conservative rapper who once sued over a potential ban of TikTok in 2024.
Solomon Ray, who is billed from Mississippi, shares statehood in common with the creator behind Xania Monet, the R&B AI artist who is also No. 3 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart with “Let Go, Let God.”
Monet has seen similar backlash in recent weeks from the likes of Victoria Monét, Kehlani, SZA and a host of other singers. Like the individual behind Solomon Ray, Telisha “Nikki” Jones, the woman behind Xania Monet, is backing the use of AI.
“I just feel like AI … it’s the new era that we’re in,” Jones told Gayle King. “And I look at it as a tool, as an instrument, and utilize it.”
