Xiao Yao Xian Goes Viral in 72 Hours: How One Ordinary Creator Rode an AI Music Video to 100K+ Views

Let’s start with the outcome: on June 15, 2026, Chopstick Brothers released their new guofeng (Chinese-style) single Xiao Yao Xian (逍遥仙), and it shot to the top of the trending charts in four hours. A few days after it blew up, an ordinary creator’s AI-generated remix music video for Xiao Yao Xian hit 100,000+ views on WeChat Channels. Only a few days passed between the trend breaking out and the remix taking off. This wasn’t a team production — one person handled the entire process: picking the song, defining the style, generating the storyboard, and rendering the video. This post breaks down exactly how this viral hit was made, and how you can use the same method to ride the wave the next time a trending song comes along.

1. The event: why Xiao Yao Xian left so much room for remixes

The virality of Xiao Yao Xian carries a strong AI signature from the start: the official music video was entirely AI-generated, with Wang Taili heavily made up as a nine-tailed fox and Xiao Yang playing a scholar in white robes. The gender-bending look — dubbed online as “Chopstick Brothers turning into a Chopstick Couple” — sparked another wave of trending buzz on June 18. The uncanny visuals paired with a catchy guofeng melody gave the song a built-in quality: everyone wanted to do something with it.

For remix creators, there’s a signal here that’s easy to overlook: once even the official release uses AI for its music video, audiences have fully accepted the combination of “AI visuals + hit song.” You don’t need to convince viewers to accept AI-generated video — you just need to be faster than everyone else.

And the competition is fierce — the numbers make that clear. According to the 2024 Music Industry Annual Observation jointly released by Douyin and Qishui Music (reposted by Tencent News), the industry saw over 1.77 million new songs achieve meaningful exposure in a single year, up 33% year over year. The attention window for trending songs keeps shrinking — and that’s exactly where AI tools come in.

2. Case breakdown: how that 100K+ view MV was made

The case was first reported in an article published on NetEase (original article): after Xiao Yao Xian went viral, a LickMV user quickly produced a remix music video using an AI music video workflow and posted it to WeChat Channels — “the video took off immediately, hitting 100,000+ views.”

The original article summed up his production path in a single sentence: “Pick the song, define the style, generate a storyboard, then render the AI video.” Broken down, that’s four steps —

1. Pick the song: Use whatever’s trending right now — Xiao Yao Xian in this case — since momentum is the biggest distribution lever
2. Define the style: Match the song’s guofeng narrative instead of randomly stacking aesthetic elements
3. Generate the storyboard: Have AI break the entire song down into a shot-by-shot script suited for visual storytelling, with a timestamp for each shot
4. Render the video: AI generates each shot section by section according to the storyboard, then assembles them into a complete music video

If you want to see what this kind of tool looks like in practice, here’s the landing page for LickMV’s official site:

Screenshot: LickMV official site (captured July 2026)

The report itself offered a verdict: “AI music videos are moving from ‘PPT-level visual collage’ to ‘short-drama-level production craft.’” In other words, AI music videos are no longer just “moving cover art” — they let a song have its own visual narrative.

This reflects the broader trajectory of the entire category: according to industry research from the China Baogao Research Institute, the global AI video generation market was worth roughly $800 million in 2025 and is projected to reach $40 billion by 2030 — more tools will keep emerging, but the methodology stays the same.

3. A repeatable methodology: the 72-hour window for remixing trending songs

Looking at this case closely reveals three patterns that hold true for anyone:

First, timing matters more than production polish. (The 72-hour window used below is a rule of thumb based on how trending heat typically decays — not a measured number from this case.) This MV took off not because its visuals outdid the official version, but because it showed up in people’s feeds within the peak-heat window. A traditional editing workflow — sourcing footage, building a timeline, frame-by-frame adjustments — is nearly impossible to finish within that window. An AI workflow compresses the cost of producing a complete music video to under half a day.

Second, lyrics are a ready-made storyboard. Guofeng lyrics are inherently visual — immortals, moonlight, mountains, wine — every line translates naturally into a shot. Having AI generate a storyboard from the lyrics essentially turns “coming up with ideas” into “picking from ideas.”

Third, subtitles determine completion rate. Viewers who watch trending-song remixes are there to sing along, and lyric subtitles that light up line by line keep them watching through the chorus. This is a shared trait across nearly every viral lyric video.

4. Recreate this workflow with SunoMV

The methodology above isn’t tied to any single tool. If you want to try it right now, here’s how to walk the same path with SunoMV in five steps:

1. Prepare the song: If you already have audio for a trending song, use it directly. If you want to go original or avoid copyright risk, use an AI song generator to create a song in the same style first
2. Generate the visuals: Drop the full audio track into the AI music video generator and let AI build a visual narrative that runs through the entire song, matched to its mood and lyrics
3. Light up the lyrics: Open the lyric subtitle feature and pick a subtitle style that lights up line by line in sync with the melody — this is the key to keeping viewers watching to the end
4. Export the final cut: Once the visuals and rhythm are aligned, export the finished video — post the vertical version to WeChat Channels or Douyin, and the horizontal version to Bilibili
5. Beat the clock: Complete the entire process within 72 hours of the trend breaking, and include the song title and relevant hashtags when you post

Here’s what step 2 actually looks like — the interface where you drop in your audio and let AI generate the full visual narrative:

Screenshot: SunoMV · AI Music Video Generator

If you want more style options to choose from, check out our list of 22 viral music video styles first. For advanced subtitle techniques, see the complete guide to AI lyric video generators.

5. FAQ

Are there copyright issues with remixing trending songs?

Music copyright rules vary by platform and region. There are two safe approaches: use a licensed song from a platform’s built-in music library, or use AI to generate an original song in the same style and build your MV around that instead — the latter sidesteps copyright risk entirely at the source, and it’s the default choice for many full-time creators.

Can I make a watchable MV with zero editing experience?

Yes. The core of this case is that AI removes the editing barrier: you handle picking the song and defining the style, while AI handles the storyboard, visuals, and subtitle syncing. Your first cut probably won’t be perfect, but it usually only takes two or three more style attempts to go from a first draft to something publishable.

Is it still worth doing if I miss the 72-hour window?

Yes, but the approach changes. Within the trending window, speed wins. After the window closes, angle wins — think dialect versions, narrative versions, or adaptations that tie into your own channel’s persona. The workflow stays exactly the same; only the pitch shifts from “fast” to “clever.”

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The window for a trending song won’t wait. The next time a song like Xiao Yao Xian breaks out, open SunoMV and drop the track in — within half a day, you’ll have a publishable MV, while most people are still bookmarking tutorials.

SunoMV Team