Creator disclosed AI
Is “Papaoutai (Afro Soul)” AI?
Who made it, the artist's verdict and where to listen officially.
Short answer
Partly. It is a cover of Stromae’s 2013 song by mikeeysmind, Chill77 and Unjaps. Producer Mikael Daghighi told TV4 the voice was made with AI and the instrumental mostly without it. Deezer tags the single “AI-generated content”.
The verdict pill is mikeeysmind's: songs take the verdict of the artist's file.
Who made it
- Artist
- mikeeysmind
- Credited artist, producer
- mikeeysmind (Mikael Daghighi) (tv4.se, checked Oct 23, 2026)
- Credited artist
- Chill77 (open.spotify.com, checked Oct 23, 2026)
- Credited artist
- Unjaps (open.spotify.com, checked Oct 23, 2026)
- Original song ("Papaoutai", 2013)
- Stromae (theconversation.com, checked Oct 23, 2026)
- Released
- Dec 20, 2025 (deezer.com)
The Conversation reported that SACEM, France’s music rights society, upheld the cover’s legality, noting that Stromae is “properly credited” and that royalties are shared with him and the record label. Stromae has not commented, per The Conversation.
Where to listen officially
We link to official pages only. We do not host audio or lyrics.
Timeline
-
TV4 names Mikael Daghighi as the producer; he says AI was used for the voice.
Source: tv4.se
-
Newsweek reports it as the highest new entry on Spotify’s global chart, at No. 168.
Source: newsweek.com
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Released as a single.
Source: deezer.com
Questions people ask
Is “Papaoutai (Afro Soul)” AI?
Partly, by the producer’s own account: Mikael “mikeeysmind” Daghighi told TV4 that AI was used for the voice and that the instrumental was largely made without AI. Deezer tags the single “AI-generated content” (checked Oct 23, 2026).
Source: tv4.se · checked Oct 23, 2026
Who sings “Papaoutai (Afro Soul)”?
The track is credited to mikeeysmind, Chill77 and Unjaps. Daghighi told TV4 the voice was made with AI because, in his words (translated from Swedish), “AI can reach notes and do things that humans can’t”.
Source: tv4.se · checked Oct 23, 2026
Who made the original “Papaoutai”?
Belgian artist Stromae released “Papaoutai” in 2013 on the album “Racine carrée”. The Afro Soul version is a cover, uploaded to Spotify in December 2025.
Source: theconversation.com · checked Oct 23, 2026
Did Stromae approve the cover?
Stromae has not commented publicly, according to The Conversation. Daghighi told TV4 he has an agreement with the original artist’s team.
Source: tv4.se · checked Oct 23, 2026
Sources
- TV4 Nyheterna: Svensken bakom virala AI-covern (Jun 18, 2026) checked Oct 23, 2026 Archived copy, saved Jun 25, 2026
- Deezer: Papaoutai (Afro Soul) (single) checked Oct 23, 2026 Archived copy, saved Jun 16, 2026
- Newsweek: The most-viral song of 2026 so far was likely made using AI checked Oct 23, 2026 Archived copy, saved Aug 6, 2026
- The Conversation: The viral 'Papaoutai' cover controversy checked Oct 23, 2026 Archived copy, saved Jun 16, 2026
- Spotify: Papaoutai - Afro Soul checked Oct 23, 2026 Archived copy, saved Sep 24, 2026