Suno Kills Controversial Mary J. Blige Ad Where She…

Legendary R&B singer Mary J. Blige became the target of significant online criticism following the release of a promotional video by the AI music generator Suno. The advertisement depicted the singer appearing to collaborate with and praise AI-generated music that mimicked her signature style, despite the fact that she had not authorized the campaign.

What happened

The controversy stemmed from an 85-second video in which Blige is shown in a studio setting with an unnamed producer. In the footage, the producer constructs a track titled "Pretty Flowers," which draws inspiration from Blige's music from the 1990s and 2000s. Blige is seen interacting with the producer, offering feedback such as requesting strings and a beat, and describing the process as "amazing" and "dope." However, the editing of the video obscures the exact context of her remarks.

Suno attributed the incident to a fraudulent business deal, stating they entered into an agreement with an individual who falsely claimed to be Blige’s official representative. Once the company realized the representative lacked the authority to act on her behalf and that the singer was uncomfortable with the content, they terminated the campaign. A representative for Blige declined to provide further comment on the matter.

Beyond the official advertisement, a shorter and more heavily edited version of the video began circulating online, further distorting Blige’s comments. It remains unclear if this secondary clip was created by Suno or an unaffiliated third party. This incident occurred amidst a period of intense legal scrutiny for Suno, which faces ongoing litigation from major music labels and individual artists regarding the unauthorized use of copyrighted material and the replication of musicians' identities.