Kodesangers
Kodesangers is an eclectic South African artist whose music blends introspective lyrics with genre-defying melodies — from hip-hop and acoustic to spoken word. Their work often explores personal stories, cultural identity, and now, the intersection of music and emerging technology.
We Made an AI Music Video. It Cost Us R12,000. Worth It? Absolutely.
What happens when a musician, a bold idea, and a little bit of AI magic collide?
You get Toyota of Gaan Huis Toe — a fully AI-generated music video that started out as a creative experiment… and ended up with a R12,000 ($600) surprise attached to it.
Yep. That happened.
🎶 The Song: A Tribute to Reliability (and Maybe to Convincing My Dad)
Toyota of Gaan Huis Toe isn’t just a song — it’s a metaphor. It’s about making solid, dependable choices in life. In this case, it uses the ever-reliable Toyota bakkie as a symbol of trust. Why? Because sometimes music is a way of expressing admiration, telling stories, or even trying to sway your dad’s vehicle preferences (true story).
The track itself is proudly Afrikaans, blending humor, honesty, and catchy choruses. It’s quirky. It’s heartfelt. It’s a vibe.
🤖 The Video: AI Made This (But Not for Free)
We used Google Veo 2 to generate the entire video. No camera crews. No actors. Just a wild combination of lyrics, prompts, and machine learning — and somehow, it worked beautifully. The video feels like something out of a futuristic dream.
The only problem?
We assumed we were on a free trial.
The next morning, we woke up to a real-life invoice of over R12,000.
Oops.
It turns out that using AI to generate high-quality video frames (especially a full music video) adds up very quickly when you’re not careful about your plan or credit limits.
Lyrics
Ek soek 'n nuwe bakkie,
Die keuses is baie, wil nie 'n fout maak nie.
Ek vind myself in 'n Toyota, dis wat almal sê,
Die een wat altyd werk, dit is wat ek wil hê.Toyota of gaan huis toe,
Toyota of gaan huis toe,
Die een wat nie breek nie, dis wat ek soek,
Toyota of gaan huis toe, die ander breek net om die hoek.Ek sien ander bakkies, hulle lyk so mooi,
Maar ek weet hulle sal nie hou nie, al is hulle rooi.
Ek soek 'n bakkie wat ek kan vertrou,
Toyota is die een, dit is al een wat hou.Toyota of gaan huis toe,
Toyota of gaan huis toe,
Die een wat nie breek nie, dis wat ek wil hê,
Toyota of gaan huis toe, niemand het iets slegs te sê.Ek wil 'n rit hê wat glad verloop,
Met my drome agter, ek weet ek kan glo.
Ander bakkies sukkel, is nie betroubaar nie,
Met 'n Toyota kan ek ver gaan, ek is nie bang nie.Ek sit in die stoel, draai die sleutel en hy ry,
Met 'n glimlag op my gesig, ek voel regtig vry.
Elke draai wat ek neem, elke pad wat ek kies,
Toyota is my keuse, so betroubaar soos vellies.Toyota of gaan huis toe,
Toyota of gaan huis toe,
Die een wat nie breek nie, dis wat ek gaan koop,
Toyota of gaan huis toe, anders kan ek maar net loop.Met my Toyota bakkie, moet ek versigtig wees,
Diefstal is 'n werklikheid, ek moet dit onthou.
So ek pas verseker my versekering aan,
My Toyota is my alles, ek sal nie sonder hom kan gaan.Toyota ons gaan huis toe,
Toyota ons gaan huis toe,
Ek is bly ek het hom gekoop, al is hy dalk nie rooi,
Toyota ons gaan huis toe, saam jou is die lewe mooi.So kom ons ry saam, met die vensters oop,
In my Toyota, is lewe soet soos stroop.
Onder die sterre, met die wind in my hare,
Toyota is die een, dit vloei in my are.
💭 What We Learned
This wasn’t just a music project. It became a masterclass in:
- Understanding AI tools before diving in
- Mixing creativity with new technology
- Rolling with the (expensive) punches
- Sharing something authentic, no matter the cost
And you know what? We don’t regret it. Because the final result is a music video that we never could have made without AI — and it’s a piece of art we’re proud of.
🚘 One More Thing…
Just in case anyone’s wondering — Toyota had absolutely zero involvement in this video. They didn’t sponsor it, approve it, or even know it existed until now. This song was made purely out of admiration, nostalgia, and a touch of family persuasion.
🎥 Watch the Video Here
👉https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHD8zZx9yVc
We’d love to know what you think. Drop a comment, share it with your friends, and if you’ve ever made a creative mistake that cost you money, know that you’re not alone. At least we got a good story (and a killer music video) out of it.
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Thanks for supporting independent, slightly chaotic creativity.
— Kodesangers
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