Papaoutai (2025 cover)

"Papaoutai (Afro Soul)"
Song by mikeeysmind, Chill77
ReleasedDecember 20, 2025
Length4:39
LabelUnjaps AB · Mosaert Label SRL · Universal Music Group
SongwriterPaul Van Haver · Aron Ottignon · Pierre Lengo

"Papaoutai (Afro Soul)" is a song by mikeeysmind and Chill77, released through Swedish label Unjaps AB on December 20, 2025. It is an AI-generated cover of the original song written and recorded by Stromae.[1][2][3] The track was uploaded to YouTube on January 9, 2026, after which it went viral.[4]

The song became one of the most viral tracks of early 2026.[5] In January, it was the highest new entry on the Global Spotify charts, debuting at #168 with 1.29 million streams.[5][6] In the week of January 24, 2026, it debuted at #2 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales and #172 on the Billboard Global 200. The song accumulated over 14 million Spotify streams within its first month.[5][7] Its corresponding TikTok sound plays in over 235,000 posts as of January 2026.[8]

As of February 11, 2026, the track was distributed by Universal Music Group.[9]

Viral spread and controversy

The cover's viral spread was significantly amplified by videos featuring Congolese-Russian singer Arsene Mukendi appearing to perform the track.[7][10][11][12] Mukendi, who had previously placed fourth on season 8 of The Voice Russia, posted multiple videos of himself lip-syncing to the AI-generated vocals without initially disclosing that the voice was artificial.[13][3]

Initial media coverage misidentified Mukendi's performance as him singing vocals over the instrumental track.[7] On January 12, 2026, Mukendi clarified on Instagram that the vocals were AI-generated, writing "I wanted to put my emotions and my soul on this masterpiece" and apologizing "for the confusion." He credited mikeeysmind as the version's creator and videographer Arsen Dishekov for producing his video.[13]

The French performing rights society SACEM confirmed that the cover is legal, stating "it is not fraud" but rather a cover, as neither the melody nor lyrics were modified from the original.[3][14] The original writers are properly credited, and royalties from the cover will be paid to Stromae and the original rights holders.[3][14]

Aron Ottignon, co-composer of the song, stated he recognized it as AI immediately but found "the spirit of the cover interesting" and believed it was "good for" Stromae as it brings renewed attention to the original song. He compared AI in music to the vocoder in the 1970s, calling it "just a new instrument."[3]

Stromae himself has not publicly commented on the cover.[3][12] Universal Music France, Stromae's distributor, declined to comment.[3]

Industry response

Swiss public radio SRF declined to play the song in its regular programming despite its chart success, citing unclear origins and editorial guidelines regarding AI-generated content.[15][16] The French streaming platform Deezer labels the track as "AI-generated content," making it the only major platform to explicitly identify it as such.[15][3][11]

Reception

The song raised ethical concerns particularly because Stromae's original "Papaoutai" is deeply personal, written about his father Pierre Rutare, who was killed during the Rwandan genocide.[7][5] Tšeliso Monaheng of OkayAfrica questioned "what happens to the idea of art when emotional authenticity becomes optional" in relation to the cover, noting that the track "functions as an aesthetic and emotional stand-in for the original, reproducing its melodic contours, dramatic arc, and vocal affect with remarkable fidelity."[7]

Guillaume Fraissard of Le Monde wrote that "knowing that a work is fake necessarily changes the nature of the emotion it gives us."[17]

Andrew Simire of Trickle Media described the incident as highlighting concerns about whether AI in music removes "the essence or ingredient that makes [art] original, pure, and human-made."[10]

Zaghrah Anthony of Bona Magazine wrote that the cover "stays true to the original’s spirit but transforms it into a slower, more immersive production."[4]

Social media reactions were mixed. Some listeners praised the arrangement, while others criticized it as lacking genuine soul.[5] One Reddit user called it "slop" with "no actual violin, percussion or soul."[5]

Charts

References

  1. ^ Nthongoa, Lebohang (January 22, 2026). "WATCH | Viral AI Afro Soul remix of Stromae's 2013 hit 'Papaoutai' continues to gain momentum". The South African. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  2. ^ Abraham, Ellie (January 15, 2026). "An 'AI cover' is 'highest new entry' on the Global Spotify chart and people are concerned | indy100". www.indy100.com. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Bureau, Éric (January 26, 2026). "« Ce n'est pas de la fraude » : c'est quoi cette reprise de « Papaoutai » de Stromae par l'intelligence artificielle ?". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Anthony, Zaghrah (January 23, 2026). "Stromae's 'Papaoutai' gets viral AI Afro Soul remix". Bona Magazine. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Patrick, Lydia (January 16, 2026). "The most-viral song of 2026 so far was likely made using AI". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  6. ^ McArthur, Derek (January 15, 2026). "Bandcamp has banned AI music from its platform. Will Spotify dare to follow suit?". The Herald. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e Monaheng, Tšeliso (January 16, 2026). "Generative AI Is Changing the Way We Consume Music by African Artists". OkayAfrica. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  8. ^ Denis, Kyle (January 23, 2026). "New Viral Moments for Dave & Tems, Stromae and (Maybe?) a 'Heated Rivalry' Star". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  9. ^ mikeeysmind (February 11, 2026). Papaoutai (Afro Soul). Retrieved February 14, 2026 – via YouTube. Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
  10. ^ a b Simire, Andrew (January 25, 2026). "The Fear And Disappointment Behind Arsene Mukendi's AI Generated "Papaoutai" Cover". Trickle Media. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Sur Spotify, cette version IA de "Papaoutai" trompe des millions d'auditeurs, et Stromae n'y est pour rien". Marie France (in French). January 16, 2026. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Canat, Constance (January 16, 2026). "Stromae au sommet des charts… avec une reprise générée par IA de 'Papaoutai'". RTBF Actus (in Belgian French). Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  13. ^ a b Mukendi, Arsene [@arsene_mukendi]; (January 9, 2026). "Hello everyone! As recently this song going viral …". Retrieved February 14, 2026 – via Instagram.
  14. ^ a b Vasseur, Victor (January 27, 2026). ""Papaoutai" version IA : le tube revisité de Stromae devient viral, mais est-il légal ?". France Inter (in French). Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  15. ^ a b Fischer, Martin (January 22, 2026). "Cover von «Papaoutai»: SRF spielt neuen Hit nicht – obwohl er auf Platz 10 der Charts steht". Tages-Anzeiger (in Swiss High German). Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  16. ^ Cordova, Felipe; Sennhauser, Thomas (January 23, 2026). "«Papaoutai»-Remix: Erstmals in der Schweizer Hitparade: KI-Song sorgt für Furore". 20 Minuten (in Swiss High German). Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  17. ^ Fraissard, Guillaume (January 30, 2026). "Reprise de « Papaoutai » avec l'IA : « Savoir qu'une œuvre est fausse change la nature de l'émotion qu'elle nous procure »". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  18. ^ "Chill77 – Papaoutai" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  19. ^ "ČNS IFPI – CZ Singles Digital – Top 100 – 4. týden 2026" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of January 31, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  22. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 03/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved January 28, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
  24. ^ "Latvijas atskaņotāko dziesmu topā dominē popmūzikas noskaņa" [Pop music dominates Latvia's most played songs chart] (in Latvian). TV Net. February 3, 2026. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  25. ^ "OLT20 – Combined Chart – Week of Sunday March 8th, 2026". The Official Lebanese Top 20. March 9, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026 – via Facebook.
  26. ^ "2026 4-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)". AGATA (in Lithuanian). Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  27. ^ "Luxembourg Songs: Week of January 31, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  28. ^ "Chill77 – Papaoutai" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  29. ^ "TurnTable Nigeria Top 100: January 16th, 2026 – January 22nd, 2026". TurnTable. Archived from the original on February 8, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  30. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 16.01.2026–22.01.2026.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  31. ^ "Top All Internet Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Jan 15, 2026". TopHit. January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  32. ^ "ČNS IFPI – SK Singles Digital – Top 100 – 4. týden 2026" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  33. ^ "Chill77 – Papaoutai". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  34. ^ @RadiomonitorTR (March 20, 2026). "Radiomonitor Türkiye Resmi Uluslararası Listesi – 12. Hafta – Top 10" [Radiomonitor Turkey Official International Chart – Week 12 – Top 10] (Tweet). Retrieved March 20, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  35. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 29/1/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  36. ^ "World Digital Song Sales: Week of February 7, 2026". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  37. ^ "Top 20 Venezuela Anglo música". Monitor Latino. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  38. ^ "Top All Internet Hits Russia Monthly Chart: January 2026". TopHit. February 6, 2026. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
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