Found in the Inbox | Artist submission
For DJ Twenty6, “I Pick Me” began with unfinished demos and a question that would not go away: how can a songwriter finish a piece when the tools and collaborators needed to realize it feel out of reach?
In his submission to Exposed Vocals, songwriter John Zgambo describes months spent working on lyrics, sketches and recordings before experimenting with an online production platform. He has also explained what that platform contributed to the finished recording.
From reference vocals to a finished track
According to Zgambo, he wrote the lyrics and melody and recorded reference lead vocals. He then used Suno, which transformed those vocals into a female lead and choir, added vocal embellishments, built the musical accompaniment and mastered the recording. His account distinguishes originating a song from producing its released sound.
Zgambo says he had long been skeptical of AI music tools, but this experience complicated his view. He still describes human artists and collaborators as his first preference; when collaboration is unavailable, however, he does not want an unfinished idea to remain unheard.
A release about agency
The single’s title gives his process another meaning. As he describes it, “I Pick Me” is about returning to the act of making music instead of abandoning something deeply personal. That backstory is the most distinctive element of this submission: a songwriter explaining both what a tool helped him do and what it changed.
Released October 16, 2026, “I Pick Me” is available through the public Spotify link supplied by DJ Twenty6.
Photo: Charity Cholwe Mutumwenu, supplied with permission. This feature is based on information supplied by the artist and is not a listening review. The artist disclosed the use of Suno in the released recording as described above.
