A popular folk-pop track with over five million streams has been removed from Sweden’s official charts after investigators confirmed it was primarily AI-generated, highlighting ongoing tensions over AI’s role in music and industry rules.
A folk-pop single that has been streamed millions of times has been barred from Sweden’s official record charts after investigators revealed the credited performer was created using artificial intelligence. According to NME, the track “I Know, You’re Not Mine – Jag vet, du är inte min” by the artist Jacub topped Spotify’s list of Sweden’s most popular songs but has now been excluded from Sverigetopplistan after questions over its origin surfaced.[1]
Industry reporting shows the song has accrued more than five million Spotify streams globally and was especially prominent on Sweden’s Spotify rankings; the Guardian and other outlets note about 200,000 of those plays occurred in Sweden. The single appears on a six-track EP titled “Kärleken är Bränd” (Love is Burned). Journalists and local observers flagged an absence of an established public profile for Jacub, no tours, scarce social media presence and no media appearances, prompting closer scrutiny.[2][5]
Investigative work by Swedish journalist Emanuel Karlsten traced the registration of the song to a team of executives linked to Stellar Music, a Denmark-based publishing and marketing firm, with connections to the company’s AI department. Music publications report the artist credit is effectively a project name, and that the track’s registration details tied it back to people working in Stellar’s AI team.[1][3][4]
The producers, styling themselves “Team Jacub,” told NME that press coverage had misrepresented their creative process and that AI had been used as an assisting tool rather than as the sole author. “We are not an anonymous tech company that just ‘pressed a button,'” they wrote, adding that “The team behind Jacub consists of experienced music creators, songwriters, and producers who have invested a lot of time, care, emotions, and financial resources,” and that “Jacub is an artistic project developed and carried by a team of human songwriters, producers, and creators.” The group cited the track’s streaming success as evidence of its artistic value.[1][6]
IFPI Sweden has taken an opposing view and removed the track from the national chart roll, saying songs that are “mainly AI-generated” are not eligible for the official top list. Ludvig Werner, head of IFPI Sweden, is quoted explaining that the organisation’s rule disqualifies predominantly AI-created works from Sverigetopplistan.[1][3][5]
The incident has been placed in a wider context of rising friction between streaming, copyright and generative technology. Reports note previous examples of AI-created or AI-fronted projects gaining traction, such as Breaking Rust’s “Walk My Walk” topping a Billboard digital chart, the AI creator Sienna Rose achieving millions of Spotify listeners, the Velvet Sundown hoax, and Xania Monet’s commercially significant deals and chart entries, while platforms and rights bodies respond with new rules and removals.[1][3][4]
Platforms and services are already taking stances: Bandcamp announced a ban on music made entirely or with heavy reliance on generative AI and invited users to flag suspected AI-generated content for review,while streaming-service research suggests listeners struggle to distinguish AI music from human-made works. Deezer, cited in coverage of the debate, found a high proportion of people unable to tell the difference between AI and human performances, intensifying questions about discoverability, attribution and consumer perception.[1]
The case crystallises tensions for an industry weighing creative experimentation against transparency and rights protection. As journalists, trade bodies and platforms press for clearer classifications and safeguards, the exclusion of Jacub’s hit from Sweden’s official charts underlines the immediate policy consequences when a work’s provenance is contested and when prevailing rules preclude “mainly AI-generated” pieces from chart recognition.[2][3][4]
##Reference Map:
- [1] (NME) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 4, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7, Paragraph 8
- [2] (The Guardian) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 8
- [3] (MusicRadar) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 8
- [4] (Digital Market Reports) – Paragraph 3, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 8
- [5] (Infonasional) – Paragraph 2, Paragraph 5
- [6] (Yahoo) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 6
- [7] (MyJoyOnline) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 6
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The earliest known publication date for this narrative is January 16, 2026, with multiple reputable sources reporting on the event around that time. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/p/x46mvt?utm_source=openai)) The content appears original and not recycled from other sources. However, the presence of multiple articles from various outlets suggests a rapid dissemination of the information, which may indicate a press release origin. ([digitalmarketreports.com](https://digitalmarketreports.com/news/59015/ai-created-song-tops-spotify-in-sweden-but-is-barred-from-national-charts/?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
7
Notes:
Direct quotes from the producers of the track, referred to as “Team Jacub,” are consistent across multiple sources. ([digitalmarketreports.com](https://digitalmarketreports.com/news/59015/ai-created-song-tops-spotify-in-sweden-but-is-barred-from-national-charts/?utm_source=openai)) However, the exact wording of these quotes varies slightly between articles, raising concerns about potential paraphrasing or misquotation. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/p/x46mvt?utm_source=openai))
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative is reported by reputable news outlets such as The Guardian and MusicRadar, which are known for their journalistic standards. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/p/x46mvt?utm_source=openai)) However, the presence of multiple articles from various outlets suggests a rapid dissemination of the information, which may indicate a press release origin. ([digitalmarketreports.com](https://digitalmarketreports.com/news/59015/ai-created-song-tops-spotify-in-sweden-but-is-barred-from-national-charts/?utm_source=openai))
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about the song “I Know, You’re Not Mine” being AI-generated and subsequently banned from Swedish charts are plausible and align with current industry discussions on AI in music. ([theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/p/x46mvt?utm_source=openai)) The involvement of Stellar Music’s AI department in the creation process adds credibility to the narrative. ([digitalmarketreports.com](https://digitalmarketreports.com/news/59015/ai-created-song-tops-spotify-in-sweden-but-is-barred-from-national-charts/?utm_source=openai))
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative presents a plausible and timely account of an AI-generated song being banned from Swedish charts, supported by multiple reputable sources. However, slight variations in quoted material and the rapid dissemination of the information suggest reliance on a common origin, possibly a press release, which may affect the independence of the verification process. ([digitalmarketreports.com](https://digitalmarketreports.com/news/59015/ai-created-song-tops-spotify-in-sweden-but-is-barred-from-national-charts/?utm_source=openai))
