For a gospel act whose songs fill church services and TikTok feeds, the admission landed hard: some of their music starts life inside an artificial intelligence app.

Popular gospel duo Wapendwa Muziki, made up of couple Mesh and Nina, have found themselves at the centre of a heated online debate after revealing that they use Suno AI, a tool that can generate complete songs from text prompts, in their creative process, K24 Digital and Mpasho reported on Thursday, November 5.

How they say they use it

Mesh said the duo write the lyrics and set the song's progression themselves, then guide Suno on melody, length and tempo to produce a demo that they take to their music producer as a reference.

He said the method also solved a practical problem: ideas recorded as voice notes on their phones often ended up as unnamed, hard-to-find files.

"Suno AI will not make you a talented person; AI is only for the creative ones," Mesh said, according to K24 Digital.

He also insisted the faith behind the music is their own. "We have been getting our songs from God directly; all our songs are inspired by the Bible," he said.

The Sh40,000 subscription

In an interview with Oga Obinna, the duo disclosed paying Sh40,000 for the AI tool. Mpasho reported that the amount covers an annual subscription.

Divided fans

The disclosure has split fans. Critics argue that gospel music should come from human inspiration and worry about AI quietly replacing musicians, producers and backing vocalists. Supporters say using AI for demos is no different from using a keyboard or recording app.

Obinna has defended the pair, saying their use of AI does not take away from their creativity and challenging critics to try writing songs themselves.

A wider industry question

The row reflects a growing global debate over AI in music. Platforms like Suno can produce vocals, lyrics and full arrangements within a minute, raising questions over originality, copyright and royalties. In Kenya, creatives are already grappling with how royalties are tracked and paid, and many artists fear that cheap AI songs could flood streaming platforms.

For Wapendwa Muziki, whose recent releases include Moyo, Kama Ndoto and Wanitosha, the message is that the tool is a sketchpad, not a songwriter.

Photos: Mesh Mpendwa via K24 Digital (Instagram); Mpasho. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.