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A voice sings the name of a business from a phone speaker. A few seconds later, the owner’s name, the services on offer, the location and even a phone number show up in the lyrics. This isn’t a singer who booked studio time, and it isn’t a track from an album. The song was generated entirely by artificial intelligence.
In Cameroon, these small personalized tracks are starting to turn up in WhatsApp Status updates, Facebook posts, TikTok videos and promotional campaigns. To announce a shop, a birthday, a ceremony or a restaurant, or simply to get a business noticed, some people are finding in AI a new way to be heard.
When advertising starts to sing 🎶
On WhatsApp, ads tend to look alike: a poster, a few photos, a video and a text with a phone number. But lately, another approach is turning heads: a song.
The business name is repeated in the chorus, products are woven into the lyrics, and the neighborhood can even get a mention. In seconds, an ordinary business becomes a small piece of music. For some business owners, the appeal is obvious: a sung ad may be easier to remember than plain text.
« People can forget a poster, but if the name of my business is in a song, they’ll probably remember it more easily. If the sound is well made, they will remember it, » says Alma Belinga, a young entrepreneur.
In some creations, the principle is simple: the product is named again and again until it becomes almost impossible to forget. A restaurant can have its menu sung. An events agency can turn its services into verses, and a small business can have its name repeated in the hook. Advertising borrows the codes of the song, and on social media the format fits naturally into short videos. The content no longer just asks to be read. It can be listened to, shared and reused in a video.
The shopkeeper becomes the main character 🎤
At a small shop, the idea can seem amusing at first. The owner supplies a few key details, then a phrase they want to appear. The AI tool turns those elements into lyrics and music.
The result can come in several styles, including makossa (Cameroon’s signature dance music), afrobeat, gospel, urban music or a festive mood. Users don’t necessarily need to know how to write a song.
« I’m not a musician. I just wanted something that talks about my business and makes people want to come, » says Landry Nga, a user.
That ease also changes how ads get made. What once required a graphic designer, a videographer or sometimes a recording studio can now be done from a phone and a few prompts.
From birthdays to ceremonies 🎉
The phenomenon goes beyond commerce. Personalized songs can be made for birthdays, weddings, baptisms, family ceremonies, restaurant openings, shop launches or community events.
A first name becomes the chorus, a date slips into the lyrics, and the venue appears in the track. In family WhatsApp groups, these creations can quickly become something to pass around.
« At first, we just wanted to wish happy birthday in a different way. We ended up with a song with her name and a few memories from her life, » says Aline Dibea, a user.
The most recent example is the « discovery challenge » launched by influencers Stève Fah (Cameroon) and General Makosso (Côte d’Ivoire).
The phone becomes a small production studio 📱
This shift rests largely on the spread of generative AI tools. Users no longer necessarily need a powerful computer or any knowledge of music production. They just need good tools to describe the track they want: the style, theme, mood and lyrics.
The AI then generates a musical performance. For small Cameroonian entrepreneurs, that accessibility could offer a new way to communicate without spending much on a traditional campaign. The simplicity also helps these tracks multiply on social media.
« Before, to make something professional, you had to find someone to write, someone to record and sometimes pay for a studio. Now you can already test an idea with your phone, » says Lionnel Etaba, a young business owner.
But who owns this voice? 🤖🎙️
Behind the enthusiasm, a new question emerges. When AI generates a song, who is actually the author? And what happens when a user asks for a result that closely resembles the voice or style of a known artist?
« We’re still trying to work out who the generated songs belong to. It’s hard to say, because there’s a double responsibility: that of the person giving the instructions, the human, and that of the tool that generates the final result. These preliminary questions deserve to be studied, » says Justin Mengue, an AI specialist.
These questions matter more as creations multiply. For a business, there is also a practical issue: whether it can use AI-generated content commercially depends on the terms of use of the specific tool. Easy creation doesn’t excuse anyone from checking the rules that apply to the tools used and the content produced.
A world sold in song? 🤔
At this rate, it may soon no longer be necessary to run an ad to sell a product. Giving it a voice, a rhythm and a hook that the whole neighborhood ends up knowing might be enough.
What’s most striking may not be that AI can now compose a song. It’s that in Cameroon, it’s starting to turn the seller into a singer, the shop into a chorus and the advertisement into a memory.
One day, in a taxi, a living room or a market, Cameroonians may find themselves humming a song without knowing it was never sung by an artist, because it was simply made to sell something.
Your take: Have you ever received or heard an AI-made song promoting a business in Cameroon? What did you think? Tell us in the comments.
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