{"id":2780,"date":"2026-07-07T20:42:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/credo-v-daniels-fires-back-after-apple-music-pulls-ai-driven-album-amid-backlash\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T20:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:42:50","slug":"credo-v-daniels-fires-back-after-apple-music-pulls-ai-driven-album-amid-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/credo-v-daniels-fires-back-after-apple-music-pulls-ai-driven-album-amid-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Credo V Daniels Fires Back After Apple Music Pulls AI-Driven Album Amid Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Producer and would-be chart hopeful Credo V Daniels has pushed back hard at critics who\u2019ve questioned whether artificial intelligence is behind his vocals\u2014just days after his debut album vanished from Apple Music amid growing debate about his use of AI in the studio.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy flared further when a live television clip went viral. Viewers took to social media to claim his on-stage voice didn\u2019t match the sheen of his studio tracks, with some going as far as accusing him of leaning on AI rather than singing for real.<\/p>\n<p>Even with the chatter spreading online, Daniels says he\u2019s not losing sleep over the backlash. He\u2019s framing the debate as a misunderstanding of what listeners actually want: a good sound.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think my audience doesn\u2019t really care how the cake is made as long as it tastes good,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Credo V Daniels is a producer and aspiring musician facing claims that AI is behind his vocals.<\/li>\n<li>A live television performance clip went viral, sparking arguments about how his voice compares to studio recordings.<\/li>\n<li>His debut album, <i>Still Where We Were<\/i>, appeared to disappear from Apple Music in the days after the scrutiny intensified.<\/li>\n<li>Daniels says he isn\u2019t worried about public opinion.<\/li>\n<li>He acknowledges using AI in his workflow, but argues it doesn\u2019t replace his creativity.<\/li>\n<li>He highlights an ethics concern he believes matters most: using someone else\u2019s work without consent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Watch the viral performance below:<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Daniels is 38 years old and is credited under his real name, Credo Daniel Mandlhazi. He hails from Elandsfontein, Germiston, in Ekurhuleni.<\/p>\n<p>Before stepping into the spotlight as a performer, he built a reputation as a producer working behind the scenes for some of the country\u2019s most recognized artists. He later introduced himself to audiences with songs such as <i>Sedilaka<\/i>, <i>Ngafa<\/i>, and <i>Njalo Njalo<\/i>, all drawn from his debut album, <i>Still Where We Were<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>In the days that followed, <i>Still Where We Were<\/i> appeared to be removed from Apple Music. Neither Apple nor Daniels has publicly confirmed why it was taken down, leaving room for speculation about whether it has anything to do with the AI discussion, a distribution snag, or another cause entirely.<\/p>\n<p>As the controversy continues, Daniels insists the criticism misses the point of how a finished track is actually created. In comments shared with <i>Daily Sun<\/i>, he argued that people toss around the term \u201cAI\u201d without understanding the full process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like people just throw around the word AI, but they don\u2019t really know what goes into making music,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He described songwriting as a multi-step, layered workflow\u2014one that moves from crafting lyrics to shaping vocals, building the composition, and completing the final production. In his view, those distinct stages are often collapsed by critics into a single accusation.<\/p>\n<p>While Daniels admits AI plays a role in his workflow, he says it functions as support rather than a substitute for his own artistic decisions. He also says the real ethical problem is something different: \u201ctaking an existing piece of work without a person\u2019s consent and using it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i>Read<\/i> <i>Lady Zamar opens up about love, healing, and finding joy again<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Producer and would-be chart hopeful Credo V Daniels has pushed back hard at critics who\u2019ve questioned whether artificial intelligence is behind his vocals\u2014just days after his debut album vanished from Apple Music amid growing debate about his use of AI in the studio. The controversy flared further when a live television clip went viral. Viewers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Credo V Daniels Reacts After Apple Music Pulls AI Album","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Credo V Daniels hits back after Apple Music removes his AI-linked debut, sparking a viral TV clip and fresh debate over whether hi","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-celebrities"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Credo V Daniels Reacts After Apple Music Pulls AI Album<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Credo V Daniels hits back after Apple Music 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