This would have seemed absurd just a few years ago, but an AI-generated song has made its way into the German pop charts. It hardly surprises anyone these days, though. “Verknallt in einen Talahon” ("In Love With A Talahon"), a mix of catchy pop beats and social satire, has clawed its way to number 48 on the charts. This is the first AI-produced song to make it onto the German charts, as Diffus.de reports.
The track is created by German producer Butterbro, and it wasn’t even meant to see the light of day outside his friend group. But thanks to the wonders of modern technology—and perhaps a sprinkle of viral luck—the song has become a hit. Apart from German charts, the song is now featured in dozens of Reels, TikToks, sparks debates on X (but mainly because of its lyrics, not AI), and even has unofficial music videos on YouTube.
Welche*r Musikjournalist*in schreibt als erstes ein Portrait des Österreichers (Anfang 30, Spieleentwickler), der diesen mit rassistischen Stereotypen vollgestopften Tiktok-Hit geschrieben hat? https://t.co/3fhzXics2t
— Jan Krattiger (@jan_krattiger) August 10, 2024
("Which music journalist will be the first to write a portrait of the Austrian (early 30s, game developer) who wrote this Tiktok hit full of racist stereotypes?")
The song itself is an imitation of bubblegum pop from the ‘60s and ‘70s, complete with upbeat melodies and lyrics that are believed to be the reason for its virality.
It’s not just the AI origins of the song that have people talking—it’s the term "Talahon" in the title. Depending on who you ask, "Talahon" could be a derogatory slur. According to Urban Dictionary, "Talahon" is used in the German language to describe "a group of young people who are associated with stereotypical characteristics. They are usually between 12 and mid-20, have a migrant background." As reported by Diffus.de, "Talahon" is a term that many Germans might have encountered on social media this year. It's believed that the word originates from the Arabic expression "Ta’al La’hon," meaning "Come here." In 2022, the term gained pop-cultural relevance when the rap song "Ta3al Lahon" went viral on TikTok. The term "Talahon" now broadly describes teenagers and young men with a migrant background, who are associated with violence and disrespect towards women.
"The fact that 'Verknallt in einen Talahon' is so successful might not be surprising given the frequency of the term on social media. This could be seen as a typical meme hit. And then there’s the contrasting combination of modern youth language with the retro appeal of pop music, reminiscent of the sound of cult music shows from the 60s and 70s like 'Hitparade' or 'Musikladen.' The actual surprise factor is that 'Verknallt in einen Talahon' — the first AI-produced song in the official charts – somehow fades into the background in all the discussion about the term 'Talahon,'" Diffus.de reports.
Butterbro has so far remained silent about the AI platform he used, but the song’s listing on the German charts says "feat. udio.com," which allows us to at least assume which controversial AI music tool was leveraged to create this so-far-viral song.
This isn't the only case of AI throwing the music world into a tailspin. Across the Channel in the UK, we’ve got Ben Hill—a musician with a flair for controversy and a love of Taylor Swift. Hill, operating under the name Posse Unit, decided that he wanted Taylor Swift’s voice on his track, but instead of asking her, he used AI to make it happen. Neither Udio nor Suno was there back then, so he used a vocal extractor to simply isolate Taylor's vocals and mix his own song with them. We told you Hill's story a few months ago.
You probably also remember the anonymous TikToker who used AI to create a fake song by Drake and The Weeknd. That guy was a pioneer (of sorts) who used AI for viral tracks and blew up the charts before it was promptly yanked off the internet, raising yet another round of questions about the future of music, creativity, and ownership. And how many similar compositions created daily in Suno and Udio remain unnoticed—we can only assume it's thousands, considering that Udio users alone make an average of almost 900k new songs every day.
Read also: "6-12 months ahead of Suno, in AI time"—Udio Users Make an Average of 864K New Songs Every Day
So, what does all of this mean? For starters, we’re living in an era where a song can hit the charts without a single human finger touching a guitar string or a piano key. AI is a legitimate force in the music industry. But whether this is the dawn of a new golden age of creativity or the beginning of a dystopian nightmare, where originality is replaced by algorithms, is still up for debate.
If you thought the music industry was wild before with its DAWs, autotune, streaming services, or controversy around sampling, not so fast—we're on the verge of a new era.
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