Filipino artists speak out as AI ‘Lofi Town’ climbs Spotify PH chart

The debate over AI’s place in the music industry once again takes center stage in the OPM community following the surprise appearance of “AI artist” Lofi Town on the Spotify Philippines Daily Top Artists chart.

The development triggered a wave of frustration among Filipino musicians, many of whom say the achievement comes at the expense of human artistry and creative labor.

The issue is not new. Months earlier, Cup of Joe’s Gian Bernardino expressed discomfort after an online post circulated an AI-powered rock cover of their song “Pahina.” His reaction reflected a growing unease in the local scene: that AI has become a remarkable technological force – one capable of cloning voices and reimagining entire discographies.

But as AI-generated tracks multiply on streaming platforms, artists ask, at what cost?

Lofi Town

This week, the conversation intensified after X account AllChartsPH announced that an AI artist covering Filipino songs had debuted on Spotify Philippines’ Top Artists list. The account identified the act as Lofi Town, which ranked number 144 as of writing.

Several musicians took to social media to express disappointment. In a candid X post, Maki reminded listeners that he had already cautioned against relying heavily on AI-generated OPM tracks.

He stressed that AI may be useful “for assistance and learning BUT it should not replace humans.” He added that respect must be given to artists who put in the work writing, recording and promoting “from scratch.”

Singer Adie voiced his frustration as well, writing, “Grabe naman kawawa ang sining.”

“Ligaya” hitmaker Mrld offered one of the strongest reactions, lamenting how human effort can be overshadowed by an algorithm: “Ubos brain cells, lahat ng pagpupuyat, at wala ng page sa notebook na sinusulatan ng kanta, para lang matalo ng isang robot na iniiba lang ang genre ng mismong kanta. Patawa kayo guys.”

Other artists joined in, with TJ Monterde reposting the report with an angry emoji. Janine Teñoso replied with both question and exclamation marks. Angela Ken summarized her reaction in one word: “Sad.”

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