Suno Pulls Mary J. Blige Ad Made Without Her Approval

Suno pulled its Mary J. Blige ad campaign after learning the deal was made by someone falsely claiming to represent her.

Suno has pulled its advertisement featuring Mary J. Blige, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, both of which report the AI music company terminated the campaign after learning the R&B icon never approved it. In the 85-second spot, Blige is seen in a studio with an unnamed producer who uses Suno to build a track reportedly titled "Pretty Flowers" that sounds similar to her classic '90s and '00s work. A Suno representative told both outlets: "We entered into a business deal with someone who presented themselves as Ms. Blige's official representative. As soon as we learned this was not the case, and that Ms. Blige was uncomfortable, we terminated the advertising campaign." A representative for Blige declined to comment further.

For several days, one of R&B's most unmistakably human voices appeared to be an ambassador for generative AI, as Yahoo reports: Blige seemed to endorse AI music creation, calling the results "dope" and the process "amazing." The reversal — a major artist publicly disavowing a high-profile tech campaign — is striking, and Variety notes Blige faced a barrage of online abuse after the video circulated in late August before it emerged she had never signed off. Both publications stress that the video's editing makes it unclear what Blige was actually responding to in the studio, meaning her apparent enthusiasm may have been stripped of context.

Variety reports the clip was widely circulated online but appeared, at publication, only on Suno's official Facebook page. Variety also notes a shorter, heavily edited version spread online that took Blige's comments further out of context, though it is unclear whether Suno created it or it was assembled by someone unconnected to either party. Yahoo reports the ad circulated widely after appearing late last month and describes Blige watching, seemingly impressed, as the track was built in seconds.

The fiasco lands at a fraught moment for Suno. The Hollywood Reporter and Variety both note the company faces copyright suits from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group, while Variety reports a German court recently found Suno violated U.S. and German copyright law. Against that backdrop, an ad implying a beloved artist endorsed AI-generated music — without her authorization — sharpens industry concerns about consent and identity that have defined the AI music debate.

Suno says it acted as soon as it learned the representative was unauthorized and that Blige was uncomfortable, per The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, but questions remain about how the company failed to verify the person's authority before filming a major campaign. The Hollywood Reporter reports it is unclear at press time how the mix-up actually happened, though Suno's statement suggests some miscommunication about the deal's nature. Music Ally reports Socan awaits Suno's response to its lawsuit, and that Suno calls the US artists' claims "without merit," pointing to its artist-name prompt blocking and audio screening tools.

Yahoo notes Blige, 55, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024, and her 2024 album Gratitude produced Adult R&B radio hits "Breathing" and "You Ain't the Only One." That stature explains why the apparent endorsement caused such an online backlash: Variety reports Blige endured a wave of abuse from fans before the truth emerged. With her representatives declining further comment and Suno having scrapped the campaign, the episode stands as a cautionary tale about verification in celebrity-AI partnerships — one that Variety frames as part of Suno's broader combative relationship with the music industry.