A new World Anthem was released in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but online chatter quickly went beyond the music. TWICE’s Jihyo has joined the international lineup with the latest single “Follow Me” from RedOne, a project that brings together music stars and soccer icons.Although the song’s energetic sound and Jihyo’s vocals were widely praised by fans, the music video’s heavy use of AI-generated visuals sparked heated debate on social media. Fans praised the song, but questioned why a project with an international star would rely so much on artificial intelligence.
TWICE’s Jihyo shines in RedOne’s “Follow Me” World Cup collaboration
Produced by Grammy Award-winning hitmaker RedOne, “Follow Me” was designed to celebrate the global spirit of soccer in the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The song features an international cast including TWICE’s Jihyo, French Montana, Brazilian singer LUDMILLA, Adriana C, and RedOne himself.The song, originally released on June 12, focuses on uniting artists from different cultures through a message of unity. A newly released music video expands on that idea, featuring soccer stars Ronaldo, Brahim Díaz and Federico Valverde alongside musicians.For Jihyo, this collaboration marks a new international milestone. Known for his powerful vocals and commanding stage presence, the TWICE leader continues to represent K-pop on some of the world’s biggest stages. Her participation also comes just before the end of TWICE’s large-scale promotions.
AI visual sparks criticism as fans react to Jihyo’s “Follow Me” music video
Although the song itself received positive feedback, many fans felt that the music video did not live up to its potential due to its AI-generated presentation. Throughout X, listeners repeatedly praised Jihyo’s performance while expressing disappointment with the visuals.One user wrote, “The song is 10/10 but AI’s MV is terrible.”Another person commented, “The song was 10000/10, but the MV was terrible.”Some users sought to clear up confusion surrounding the project, with one fan writing: “This is not an official FIFA song… before you all start saying nonsense. This is just a DJ song he made for FIFA and has nothing to do with FIFA.”Criticism of the visuals continued throughout the discussion. One fan posted: “I’m crying why did they put my daughter in this AI sloppy video 😭.”Another person shared a longer response, saying, “The beat drowns out half the song and you can’t hear the lyrics at all. The background is clearly AI and watching them dance in front of the camera is chilling. And based on the lyrics, it seems like the government’s idea is to unite people instead of actually uniting people. 5/10 because Jihyo saved this song.”One post questioned the change in attitudes towards AI, saying: “I thought we once condemned the use of AI in music videos. What happened?” Many more fans echoed similar sentiments, writing, “Why did they have to use AI on my queen like this??😭 Oh my god,” and “Of course Jihyo did her job, that’s her job. But they could have put more effort into the video”, “Jihyo/10”, “I’m just confused why they had to make the MV AI.”“I don’t expect much when FIFA is involved. FIFA will always do what they can do half-heartedly, but the song itself has a really World Cup vibe and is better than most of the other songs. I loved the song…the MV is worth it, because even the AI would kill her mother Jihyo.”Another commented: “It was almost awesome. Whoever did the music video messed up,” “I love the song but the MV was mostly AI 😭😭😭,” and “How could they have made it worse than it was supposed to be?”Common themes emerge from the responses. While fans largely agree with Jihyo’s vocal delivery, many believe the production team missed an opportunity by relying on AI visuals instead of creating a more sophisticated, traditional music video with a collaboration of this scale.
