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Who is Imael Angel, the artist behind Bad Times?

Imael Angel is the act behind “Bad Times”, the deep house song that soundtracks a TikTok trend in which people lip-sync an escalating argument with whoever holds the camera. You can also make an AI version with the Angry Dance Filter, which turns one photo into the same pointing, palms-out, shrugging routine.

Short answer

Imael Angel is the stage name of a deep house act whose own Deezer biography describes it as an artist created with artificial intelligence by a Hungarian producer. There is a real person behind it: the website linked from the act’s YouTube channel describes its owner as a deep house producer and a Reiki master and teacher in the UK. “Bad Times” is described as AI-made, but no one behind the project has published how that track was made.

Updated October 27, 2026

Imael Angel at a glance

Name
Imael Angel, a stage name
Behind the name
A Hungarian deep house producer, according to the act’s Deezer biography and trade press
Described as
An artist created with artificial intelligence, in the act’s own Deezer biography
Music
Deep house
Best-known songs
“BAD TIMES” (released March 30, 2026) and “I’m Moving to the Sun”, the original of HUGEL’s “Movin’ To The Sun”
UK chart peaks
The single reached No. 2 on the downloads chart, No. 4 on the sales chart, No. 16 on the dance chart and No. 67 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100, as of October 27, 2026
Based in
The UK, according to the artist’s own website

Is Imael Angel a real person?

There is a real person behind it, though the act itself is presented as AI-created. “Imael Angel” is a stage name, and the act’s own Deezer biography describes it as an artist created with artificial intelligence by a Hungarian deep house producer.

The Imael Angel YouTube channel links to imaelangel.co.uk, a website that describes its owner as a deep house producer and a Reiki master and teacher in the UK. The site is a Reiki practice and says nothing about how the music is made.

Music Ally, a music-industry trade publication, named the Hungarian artist-producer behind the act in a report published October 26, 2026.

Is “Bad Times” by Imael Angel AI?

The song is described as AI-made. Three public sources point that way:

A laptop showing colored audio tracks beside a MIDI keyboard, headphones and two small speakers on a home studio desk at night
Illustration of a home music setup, not the artist’s studio. AI-generated.
  • The act’s Deezer biography calls Imael Angel an artist created with artificial intelligence.
  • In a September 2026 Instagram video, HUGEL said the artist supplied the words and some melodic ideas for an earlier song, “I’m Moving to the Sun”, and used the AI music tool Suno to generate it.
  • On October 10, 2026, Showbiz411 counted five AI-made tracks in the US iTunes top 20 and named Imael Angel among the acts behind them.

None of these is a production breakdown of the song. HUGEL’s account covers the earlier song only, and no one behind the project has published a track-by-track statement about it. So the accurate answer is that the song is described as AI-made, and which parts were generated is not public.

How “Movin’ To The Sun” started as an Imael Angel song

HUGEL’s “Movin’ To The Sun”, with Ultra Naté, came out on May 22, 2026, and peaked at No. 2 on the UK Official Singles Chart (as of October 27, 2026). It began as Imael Angel’s song “I’m Moving to the Sun”.

In a September 2026 Instagram video, HUGEL said he sampled the original, which the artist had generated with Suno, and rebuilt the track in the studio. Ultra Naté’s vocals were layered over the original Suno-generated vocals. EDMTunes reported HUGEL’s comments on September 27, 2026, and Music Ally covered the case on October 26, 2026.

When “Bad Times” came out and how it charted

Imael Angel released the song on March 30, 2026. Apple Music lists the single as “BAD TIMES”, alongside a separate “Bad Times (Extended Version)” single dated the same day. Spotify carries “BAD TIMES (Long Version)”, and Deezer lists a “BAD TIMES MSSNGRS EXTENDED CLUB MIX” dated August 13, 2026.

  1. March 30, 2026

    Imael Angel releases “BAD TIMES”.

  2. May 22, 2026

    HUGEL’s “Movin’ To The Sun”, built on Imael Angel’s “I’m Moving to the Sun”, comes out.

  3. September 2026

    The dance takes off on TikTok.

  4. September 10, 2026

    The single enters the UK Official Singles Downloads Chart at No. 32.

  5. October 1, 2026

    It reaches the Official Singles Chart Top 100 for the first time.

  6. October 27, 2026

    Its best position so far is No. 2, on the downloads chart.

The song took off on TikTok in September 2026, and the UK charts show the same timing. It entered the Official Singles Downloads Chart dated September 10, 2026, at No. 32, and first reached the Official Singles Chart Top 100 on the chart dated October 1, 2026. As of October 27, 2026, its peaks on the Official Charts were:

  • No. 2 on the Official Singles Downloads Chart
  • No. 4 on the Official Singles Sales Chart
  • No. 16 on the Official Dance Singles Chart
  • No. 67 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100

On TikTok, as of October 27, 2026, #badtimesimaelangel had 8,564 videos and 86.6 million views, and #imaelangeltrend had 8,217 videos and 65.7 million views. Our guide to the Angry Dance Filter trend covers the dance itself.

The act has released a steady run of singles since spring 2026. Deezer lists, among others, “I’m Alive” (May 23), “Easy and Fever” (August 6), “Into The Night” (September 9), “No Sleep Tonight” (September 19) and “Where the Water Goes” (October 21).

Is “Kairo Bad Times” a different song?

Not as far as the trend goes. The Apple Music and Spotify listings credit the song to Imael Angel only, and TikTok posts that use the phrase “Kairo Bad Times” point back to the same Imael Angel track.

A different act, Kairo West, does have an unrelated song called “Bad Times” on YouTube. Why some TikTok posts add “Kairo” is unclear; it may or may not refer to Kairo West.

How to use the song in your own video

You can join the trend by filming yourself, by using a CapCut template, or by making an AI version from a single photo. Our guide on how to do the Angry Dance Filter goes through it step by step.

If you make yours from one photo with the Angry Dance Filter, for example with the Angry lady dance template, add the song from TikTok’s or Instagram’s sound library when you post. That way the music license stays with the platform.

Generating takes an account and credits, and the cost shows before you start. For the full process, see how to make a Bad Times AI video.

Angry Dance Filter is an independent website. It is not affiliated with Imael Angel, HUGEL, TikTok, CapCut or ByteDance.

Questions people ask

Is Imael Angel an AI artist?

Imael Angel is presented as one: the act’s own Deezer biography describes it as an artist created with artificial intelligence by a Hungarian deep house producer. That producer is a real person, whose website describes them as a deep house producer and a Reiki master and teacher in the UK.

Is “Bad Times” an AI song?

It is described as AI-made. The act’s Deezer biography calls Imael Angel an artist created with artificial intelligence, and Showbiz411 named the act among those behind AI-made tracks in the US iTunes top 20 on October 10, 2026. How the track itself was produced has not been published.

What type of music does Imael Angel make?

Deep house. The act’s Deezer biography and the artist’s own website both describe the person behind it as a deep house producer, and the single peaked at No. 16 on the UK Official Dance Singles Chart as of October 27, 2026.

When did “Bad Times” come out?

It came out on March 30, 2026. It took off on TikTok in September 2026 and entered the UK Official Singles Downloads Chart dated September 10, 2026.

Did Imael Angel make “Movin’ To The Sun”?

Not the hit version, but Imael Angel made the song it started from, “I’m Moving to the Sun”. HUGEL said he sampled that song and rebuilt the track in the studio, and his “Movin’ To The Sun” with Ultra Naté came out on May 22, 2026.

Who is Kairo in “Kairo Bad Times”?

Kairo is not a credited artist on the trend’s song: Apple Music and Spotify credit it to Imael Angel only. A different act, Kairo West, has an unrelated YouTube song with the same title, and it is unclear whether people who type “Kairo Bad Times” mean that act.

Sources

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