Origin of the controversy and official response
French producer Hugel has issued a visual statement through his official Instagram account to deny the claims of content creator 2hatfacts, who asserted that the single 'Movin’ to the Sun' was generated entirely through artificial intelligence. The track, a collaboration with American vocalist Ultra Naté and Hungarian producer Imael Angel, recently reached the number one position on the sales platform Beatport and topped the Dance Airplay charts in the United States, in addition to recording more than 22 million streams in its first weeks and positioning itself as one of the most globally searched songs on Shazam.
Given the virality of the accusations, Hugel published a video detailing the production process of the audio track. The origin of the controversy dates back to April 2026, when Imael Angel published a preliminary version titled 'I'm Moving to the Sun'. This original demo was created using generative artificial intelligence tools, specifically the Suno and Udio engines, gaining initial traction on social media before being detected by Hugel's team. Imael Angel is known in the circuit for producing deep house music via text prompts, which generated the initial skepticism from the community.
Studio reconstruction and technical breakdown
In his post, Hugel documents the total reconstruction of the musical arrangement alongside co-producer Late Nine. The artist specified the tools and hardware used for the final version, demonstrating human intervention in the composition and distancing the final result from automatic generation algorithms. The process required the replacement of all synthetic elements with recordings and virtual instruments operated manually.
- Drums and percussion extracted from Splice libraries and standard sound banks.
- Bass lines designed with the Serum synthesizer and layered with an analog Moog line.
- Rhodes electric piano chords and harmonic pads processed through the Sky Keys plugin.
- Additional acoustic pianos recorded through the Spectrasonics Keyscape virtual instrument.
- Sound effects (FX) programmed with the Diva and Serum synthesizers, including a monkey sound effect hidden in the mix.
Regarding the vocal track, the producer confirmed that Ultra Naté went to the studio to record the lead vocals from scratch, contributing her characteristic register to the track. The only residual element from the machine-generated version is a secondary vocal layer from Imael Angel, which was used exclusively to provide texture underneath the main recording.
Artificial intelligence was only used to make the vocal layer, and everything else in this set was done by humans.
— Hugel
Precedents regarding copyright in current electronic music
The release of 'Movin’ to the Sun' under the Make the Girls Dance Records label on May 22, 2026, sets a precedent in the management of copyright linked to artificial intelligence in electronic music. Imael Angel is officially listed in the song's credits as the author of the original concept, validating the integration of ideas generated by algorithms in the professional circuit and guaranteeing financial compensation for the initial idea.
This case exposes the operational transition of the music industry in the face of automation. While independent distribution platforms like SubmitHub have implemented severe restrictions against algorithm-generated material, global record corporations are exploring licensing agreements to regularize the use of these tools. Hugel's technical clarification puts an end to rumors about the authorship of the work and certifies that the final execution of the Beatport number one depended on traditional sound engineering, establishing a hybrid model where AI functions as a creative starting point and the human producer executes the technical development. The premiere of the track at massive events like the Coachella festival demonstrated that the public values the final sonic result over the initial composition method, as long as there is transparency in the production credits.
