An artificial intelligence–powered country act called Breaking Rust has made Billboard history — topping the Country Digital Song Sales chart with its track “Walk My Walk.”
According to Billboard, Breaking Rust debuted at No. 9 on the Emerging Artists chart (dated Nov. 1) and later climbed to the top spot on the country digital chart. The project is credited to songwriter Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor, who appears to be the person behind the AI prompts — though little is known about him beyond this connection.
There’s nothing human about the performance itself. No real singer, no studio instruments — every sound, lyric, and riff in Walk My Walk was generated by AI. As one country music site described it, it’s “music for the fighters and the dreamers.”
Despite its digital roots, Breaking Rust has racked up real numbers: over 3 million Spotify streams for Walk My Walk and more than 2 million monthly listeners overall. Another track, Livin’ On Borrowed Time, has already surpassed 4.1 million streams.
On social media, the AI “band” presents a rugged, computer-generated cowboy aesthetic — slow-motion clips of small-town life, sunsets, and pickup trucks. The comments under these posts are filled with fans praising the “singer’s voice” or asking if they’re “touring anywhere right now,” apparently unaware that the artist isn’t real.
The rise of Breaking Rust has sparked debate in the music world. Some see it as a glimpse into the future of creativity, while others view it as a warning sign of how AI might blur the line between art and automation. The success also comes amid growing tension between AI music startups and the recording industry — with major labels and publishers suing AI companies for allegedly using copyrighted material to train their models.
Whether Breaking Rust’s moment on the charts is a novelty or a sign of things to come, one thing is certain: the age of the AI musician has officially gone country.
