Meomuru's AI-Vocal Ballad Hits No. 1 on Melon Top 100, Ahead of RESCENE and ILLIT

Meomuru's "Did You Become the Adult You Dreamed Of?" reached No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 chart as of 5 p.m. on the 13th, overtaking RESCENE's new song "With." It is the first song made with artificial intelligence for composition and vocals to top the platform's main chart.

The milestone arrives five months after the song's release in June, and it fits a longer pattern: AI tools have spread through film and television production for some time, and music was widely expected to follow. Melon's Top 100 is treated in Korea as a core popularity barometer, one that even acts with large fandoms struggle to enter, let alone lead. This song placed ahead of RESCENE (No. 2), A2O Light (No. 3) and ILLIT (No. 5).

Who is listening, and how it was made

According to Melon, listeners in their 30s made up the largest share at 36%, followed by those in their 40s at 30%, 20s at 19% and 50s at 11%. The song is a familiar rock ballad about the weight of adult worries that were unknown in childhood.

The vocal was not sung by a person. It was generated with Suno, a generative music AI. On the song's description page at music sites, Meomuru states that the album's vocals were produced with Suno, while the planning, lyric writing and overall production direction were handled by the artist personally. Meomuru describes AI as "a modern instrument" and a partner that helps turn imagination into reality. On the YouTube channel, Meomuru says the lyrics are written by hand from passing everyday feelings, then shaped with AI tools into plain melodies and lasting words.

A critic's view

Popular music critic Jung Min-jae said the arrival of AI in music was foreseeable given how widely it is already used in video. Musicians and composers will not welcome an AI song at No. 1, he said, but human creators will have no choice except to put more effort into making higher-quality music.

What theqoo users said

1. 1

   Wait, so the song was produced with AI?

2. 2

   Honestly the song is good, though.

3. 3

   The song is good, which is why people are really listening to it.

4. 4

   That was AI???

5. 5

   I never use Melon. That site is awful.

6. 6

   I've never even heard of this song.

7. 7

   I hate this so much.

8. 8

   I like stanning real people, and AI turns me off completely.

9. 9

   Can we regulate this AI problem? Also the song is only average.

10. 10

    Whoa, I had no idea it was AI. Can there be a label that says 'AI' on anything made with it?