How to Do the Popstar AI Trend

What the Popstar AI trend is

DJ Khaled released "POPSTAR" featuring Drake on 17 July 2020. In the official video, Drake ignores Khaled's calls and sends Justin Bieber to shoot it for him; Bieber spends the video lip-syncing Drake's lines through a mansion party. The joke is already a stand-in, which is why it suits AI so well.

On 2 October 2026 Neymar posted an AI version with himself in Bieber's place, captioned only "Lil Ney" (CNN Brasil covered it the same day). Within a week a fan had put Drake himself into the video he never shot, and CapCut versions trimmed it to the 12-second hallway walk. The caption format stuck: "Lil" plus the star's name.

The 12 seconds, beat by beat

Every remake uses the same continuous shot, about 2:54 into the official video. The camera backs away in front of the star the whole time:

The bodyguard is the joke. The less someone looks like they need security, the better the video: a dad in a polo shirt, a grandma, a cat.

What you need

• One photo: one person facing the camera with the face large and sharp, or one pet on its own. No sunglasses, no group shots.
• Permission: your own photo, an adult who agreed, or your pet. Never a celebrity, a child or someone who didn't say yes.
• An AI video tool: our Popstar AI template, or a general image-to-video model that takes a reference photo and reference audio, such as Seedance 2.0.
• The song: our template uses the 12 seconds of the verse from the hallway shot, so the mouth lands on the words.

Method 1: the one-photo way (about 5 minutes)

1. Open the template

   Go to the Popstar AI video generator. The mansion, the bottle, the bodyguard, the camera and the beats are set up.

2. Choose a person or a pet

   For a person, pick Your outfit to keep the clothes from your photo, like Neymar's football kit, or The video look for the silk shirt and pearls. For a dog or cat, pick Pet popstar.

3. Upload the photo and pick the quality

   Seedance 2.0 is the default. The video is 12 seconds, vertical 9:16, with the song on. No photo to hand? Try the sample person first.

4. Generate and post

   You get the MP4 in a few minutes; failed videos are refunded automatically. Caption it "Lil" plus the name and label it as AI-generated.

Make the Popstar video with one photo

12-second 9:16 video with the trend sound, from 40 credits. No prompt needed.

Open the Popstar generator

Your outfit, the video look or a pet?

Whichever you choose, the room, the camera, the bottle and the bodyguard stay the same, so the video is still recognisable as the POPSTAR hallway.

Photo advice for people and pets

• Face large and front-on. Around second seven the star is close to the lens, so a small or side-on face drifts.
• Even light. Strong side shadows flicker once the head starts moving.
• One subject. Crop out friends and other pets; the model can only follow one star.
• Pets on their own. A dog or cat in someone's arms often comes out with extra limbs. Use a photo with the whole head and front paws visible.
• Clothes matter with Your outfit. A hoodie, a football kit or a chain all carry over, so dress for the mansion.

Method 2: make it yourself with an AI video model

You can rebuild the hallway with an image-to-video model that accepts a reference photo. The hard part is the lip-sync: if the model never hears the verse, the mouth moves at random and the sound won't match when you add it.

1. Choose a model with reference audio

   Seedance 2.0 accepts a photo, stills and an audio clip together. Pick 9:16 and 12 seconds.

2. Cut the verse

   Use the 12 seconds of the song that play over the hallway shot, starting about 2:54 into the official video.

3. Write the scene and the beats

   See the checklist below: the room, the bottle, the bodyguard, the camera and the timed beats.

4. Test at low resolution

   Iterate at the lowest quality until the bodyguard stands up around second four and the look back lands at the end, then render in higher quality.

What your prompt has to cover

• One continuous shot. A gimbal at chest height tracking backward in front of the star for all 12 seconds, no cuts.
• The mansion. A warm wood-panelled hallway with gold-lit wall niches opening onto a bright atrium with a glass balustrade and trees outside.
• One bottle, one bodyguard. A big champagne bottle in one hand; a bald, bearded bodyguard in a black suit who stands up and follows.
• Beats with times. Turn, walk, bodyguard, arms wide, atrium, look back.
• Identity from the photo. The face, hair and (if you want) clothes come only from the photo; the stills give the room and the poses.
• No text or logos. No captions, no SECURITY lettering, no watermark.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

• The mouth doesn't match the song. Give the model the verse as reference audio instead of adding it afterwards.
• Two bottles, or the bottle melts. Say one bottle, in one hand, and keep the other hand free.
• The bodyguard steals the shot. Say he is the only other person and stays one step behind.
• The face changes on the lean-in. Use a sharper, front-on photo with the face filling more of the frame.
• Using a celebrity. Don't. Neymar used his own face; use yours, a friend who agreed, or your pet.

Label your video as AI-generated where TikTok, Instagram or YouTube ask. It is required on most platforms and does not hurt reach.

Popstar AI examples

Neymar's Lil Ney, Drake in his own video, and the CapCut and fan versions that followed in October 2026.

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Make the Popstar video with one photo

12-second 9:16 video with the trend sound, from 40 credits. No prompt needed.

Open the Popstar generator

FAQ