GabyWarner Music has made history as the first record label to sign a contract with an AI singer. The virtual pop star Nunuri exists solely as a digital figure on the internet. She doesn’t age, get tired, or need sleep, and she’s an influential presence on Instagram.
A virtual singer with a voice created by AI
On September 1, 2023, the metaverse avatar stepped onto the music scene with the track “Dominoes,” which has already garnered over 60,000 views on YouTube. The debut single is a collaboration with 38-year-old German DJ Alle Farben, marking the beginning of Nunuri’s artistic journey.
In an Instagram post, she says music has played a major role in her life from the very beginning, creating mood and inspiring ideas she wants to bring to life. Nunuri wrote that Warner Music has recorded many of her favorite artists, so she is proud to have joined them and become part of a world where music is the rhythm of life.
A distinctive feature of Nunuri is her singing voice, which was generated by artificial intelligence. Although the voice can sound slightly hoarse because of AI processing, it demonstrates how the technology is advancing.
The voice of Nunuri was created using generative AI — a technology that takes existing data and transforms it into something new. The process began with a recording of a human singer, which was then altered to give the digital singer her unique voice. Songwriters, singers, and musicians who contributed to the creation of “Dominoes” receive royalties and publishing shares, just like in traditional music production.
Digital singer as an embodiment of freedom and the fashion world
As Designboom reported, Nunuri was created by Munich graphic designer Jörg Zuber. The virtual singer began her career at 19 and took the fashion world by storm with more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and collaborations with leading brands.
Zuber introduced the AI singer to the public at the end of 2017, which led to partnerships with brands such as Marc Jacobs, Dior, and Versace. Nunuri was also featured in an advertisement for Kim Kardashian’s makeup line and has connected with supermodels like Naomi Campbell. The digital figure goes beyond music: she promotes veganism, sustainable fashion, and advocates against the use of fur in the fashion industry.
For Jörg Zuber, Nunuri embodies a lifelong dream rooted in a passion for fashion that began when he bought his first fashion magazine at age five. He views fashion as a symbol of freedom, and Nunuri represents that vision. That is why he created an AI singer as an avatar character rather than aiming for hyper-realism — he wanted to highlight Nunuri’s uniqueness.
