Berita Fears for Musicians’ Futures Amid the Rise of AI Music: “Artists Aren’t Protected”

• Berita recently shared her feelings about AI-generated songs and says she fears for her and fellow artists' future
• The singer noted that while she has not used AI to create songs, some of the music she has heard sounds a lot like the existing artists she knows
• This comes after AI-generated music began gaining popularity in South Africa and sparked immediate worry among musicians

Award-winning singer-songwriter Berita voiced her deep anxiety over the rapid rise of AI-generated music, admitting that she genuinely fears for the future of her career and that of her fellow musicians.

On 21 May 2026, the Afro-soul singer, who is also the ex-wife of Nota Baloyi, warned during an interview that AI would steal other artists' identities and destroy the creativity that goes into creating a song.

"The AI songs I've heard sound like existing artists' voices. It can now copy vocals, lyrics, production and sound completely human."

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She noted that while the machine songs don't carry the same emotional and cultural depth as real artists' music, musicians were quickly losing control over their own narratives.

For Berita, she admitted that she only uses AI for admin work, but had not explored its music creation and lyric composing capabilities, saying the biggest danger was that AI has no real human emotions.

"As artists, we live in the stories we tell; they come from real experiences of joy, pain and healing. AI songs create a disconnect because they don't come from those places; they come from a machine."

The Siyathandana singer called for the "urgent protection" of artists' intellectual property, expressing her concern about AI stealing musicians' cultural identities.

"Artists aren't adequately protected from having our creative identities copied by technology," she said. "Legal frameworks simply haven't caught up to protect our likeness, style and voices; it's a big challenge that we're facing."

Rea Gopane explains the background of his AI hit song

Berita's concerns come in the wake of the success of Rea Gopane's hit song, Suka!, which was created entirely through AI software.

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Gopane, who became infamous for his high-profile defamation case against Bonang Matheba, revealed during an interview on Podcast and Chill that he used his favourite Amapiano song to create the song.

He admitted that his only original thought was the word "Suka," which became the main lyric and title of the song. Gopane revealed that many listeners had already pointed out the striking similarities between his track and a well-known Amapiano anthem - Adiwele by Kabza De Small and Young Stunna.

"It's my favourite Amapiano song of all time," said Rea Gopane, finally admitting to using Young Stunna's breakout song to create his own chart-topping hit.

Beyond Berita, several other musicians have raised concerns about the rise of AI music, including Zee Nxumalo, arguing that it threatens to rob musicians of their royalties and booking streams, as creators can now use technology to copy an artist's signature vocal style and likeness for profit without ever paying them or hiring them for a real feature.

Cassper Nyovest slams Nota Baloyi

In an earlier report, Briefly News shared online reactions to Cassper Nyovest's reaction to Nota Baloyi criticising his legacy.

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The rapper made a rare return to social media and slammed Nota's opinion, claiming Mufasa barely had any hit songs.

Source: Briefly News