Credo V Daniels’ music removed from Apple Music amid AI backlash
South African artist Credo V. Daniels continues to trend on social media after criticism over his live vocals and use of AI in music production.
Credo V Daniels, whose real name is Credo Danel Mandlhazi, has remained one of the most talked-about musicians on South African social media following his recent live performance on eNCA, where many viewers claimed his singing sounded nothing like his studio recordings.
His rendition of the traditional hymn 'Sedilaka' went viral after its release more than four months ago. The Afro-house version, taken from his album 'Still Where We Were', has gained more than six million views on YouTube. While 'Sedilaka' has been sung for generations, Credo’s modern interpretation introduced the hymn to a wider audience.
However, his recent television performance was largely criticised, with many social media users claiming there was a significant difference between his live vocals and the version heard on streaming platforms. Some accused the artist of relying too heavily on artificial intelligence and studio enhancements to create an unrealistic representation of his voice.
The criticism quickly spread across his social media pages and YouTube, with users questioning the authenticity of his music:
"The album is good, but seriously, it’s CLEARLY AI… there’s no need to bs us, we’re not 5"
" You didn’t record the album with your voice; just own up to that, man."
Last month, Credo admitted to using AI-assisted tools in his creative process. In an Instagram post shared on 19 June, he explained that AI was simply one of many tools used to produce his music.
"Credo has always been transparent about his use of AI-assisted tools during the creative process. Those tools were used as part of a broader production workflow that still required songwriting, arrangement, musical direction, production, decision-making and countless hours of creative work," he said in a statement.
"Technology did not create the vision. Technology simply became one of the tools used to execute it," he added.
His comments, however, did little to silence critics. While many acknowledged that modern artists regularly use studio technology, they questioned Credo's extensive use of AI.
"STOP IT, CREDO! As an artist and well-known and respected ARTIST manager myself of a very prolific artist in this country, I can vouch to say this statement is disrespectful, especially the justification of the live stage performance and studio recordings!" wrote Just Hlo, who manages Gospel star Benjamin Dube.
Hlo continued: "Take accountability [for] how the music was created and be honest that you wanted to sound the way you tweaked things in the studio LIVE, but unfortunately, now you can’t because you didn’t actually SING that music. Why do a huge pool of SA artists who recorded in the studio sing their songs perfectly fine like the studio recording?"
The artist manager also accused Credo of patronising and insulting SA consumers' ears.
“The truth is that no live performance by any artist on the planet sounds like the studio recording... just take it to the chin that you are not a singer and you made good music using AI. You will have better credibility admitting that."
Another user wrote: "AI-generated letter to explain an AI-generated mess of a performance? It’s not looking good right now. A better approach would be to admit to the rampant use of AI in your music and position yourself as a pioneer that’s evolving, not a victim that’s 'misunderstood'."
The controversy has since escalated, with Credo's album removed from Apple Music. The reason for the removal has not been officially confirmed.
The artist also came under scrutiny following an interview with SABC, during which he spoke about his background. Credo said his father is Portuguese, his mother is Xhosa, and that he identifies as Shangaan. The comments sparked debate online, with some users questioning his explanation of his heritage:
" If mom is Xhosa, dad is Portuguese, how are you Tsonga?"
See the performance below.
