Christian artists slam AI 'soul singer' after song hits top spot on iTunes, Billboard charts

A new musician by the name of Solomon Ray has stormed the charts with his new Christian EP album that came out earlier in November. Ray, however, is not a real person, but rather an AI, which has received sharp criticism from real human artists. 

The EP, Faithful Soul, which was released on November 7 with five songs, has reached number one on the iTunes Top 100 Christian and Gospel Albums, with two songs off the album, Find Your Rest and Goodbye Temptation, currently sitting at number 1 and number 2 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart. 

On Spotify, Ray is described as a "Mississippi-made soul singer carrying a Southern soul revival into the present. His records lean warm and analog—Hammond organ, honeyed horns, tambourine shake, live bass, and slide guitar—framing lyrics about faith, family, redemption, and real life. With a voice like weathered velvet and a storyteller’s cadence, he sings as if he’s testifying from experience: part Sunday-morning conviction, part Saturday-night grit." Ray has over 500,000 monthly listeners on the streaming platform, and is listed as a "verified artist."

Conservative hip-hop artist Christopher “Topher” Townsend has identified himself as the "man behind the machine," saying in an Instagram video, "Who am I to say what God will or won't use to get the message his people need to them. You know, I'm just here being an instrument, and this is an extension of my creativity. So therefore, to me, it’s art. It's definitely inspired by a Christian. It may not be performed by one. But I don't know why that really matters in the end."

Forrest Frank, a Christian singer whose song Your Way’s Better reached number one on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs earlier in 2025, argued that Ray, an AI-generated musician, does not have a soul, and therefore his songs don’t count as art. "At minimum, AI does not have the Holy Spirit inside of it," he said. "So I think that it’s really weird to be opening up your spirit to something that has no spirit."

Speaking with Christianity Today, a worship leader also named Solomon Ray said he started receiving texts from friends asking about his new music and how it was climbing the charts. The real Solomon Ray has also released an album and a Christmas single.

"At first, I didn’t understand what was going on," he said. Ray records music as "Solo Ray" and is located in Montana. "Some friends were texting and calling because they thought it was funny, others were reaching out because they thought it was really me." He added, "It bums me out to see people get hoodwinked by AI."

Ray, who has also worked as a music producer, said, "How much of your heart are you pouring into this? If you’re having AI generate it for you, the answer is zero. God wants costly worship."

An Instagram account for the AI-generated Solomon Ray posted a video on Saturday in which the words are sung, "they say 'boy that ain’t real singing, just a fancy way to cheat.' But they don’t know for what I prayed or my heart off in this beat. See the gift was always in me, but a band I can’t afford, God just opened up another door for my song to strike a chord. Now I’ve got a tool, God led me to use." 

Commenting on Frank’s post, fellow Christian musician Colton Dixon wrote, "I’m honestly still wrestling with the whole ai music thing. Can it be a tool to speed up a rather long tedious process - yes. But can it also be used a a crutch instead of finding inspiration and direction from Holy Spirit - also yes. Regardless - I’m believing God will be magnified regardless."

Phil Wickham wrote, "It’s difficult to envision a future where we look back and think creating AI was a net positive for our world. At most it should be a tool for humans, not a replacement for them."