Millions have heard Xania Monet’s voice, but many fans were surprised to learn that artificial intelligence (AI) created the artist.
Xania Monet made a potentially historic Billboard debut with “How Was I Supposed to Know?” The song entered the Adult R&B Airplay chart at No. 30 on November 1.
Billboard reported that the song is the first release by an AI-generated artist to appear on one of its radio airplay charts.
Social media sensation
Xania Monet first gained attention on TikTok. The song quickly attracted listeners on the social media platform.
The track later reached No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart in September. It also entered the Top 20 on the Hot R&B Songs chart.
Her growing success soon attracted major industry interest. Xania Monet secured a multi-million-dollar record deal with Hallwood Media after a reported bidding war.
Billboard has also reported other AI and AI-assisted acts on its charts. These include Enlly Blue, Juno Skye and Breaking Rust.
The rise of these artists shows how quickly AI is entering the modern music industry. However, Xania Monet has attracted particular attention because of her Billboard radio airplay debut.
Xania Monet an ‘extension of me,’ says creator
Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a poet and composer from Mississippi, created Xania Monet. Jones uses Suno, an AI music-generation platform, to turn her poems into R&B songs.
Jones developed the Xania Monet persona while teaching herself about AI technology.
“Xania is an extension of me, so I look at her as a real person,” Jones said in an interview.
The creator explained that she is not a singer. However, she said the lyrics come directly from her own poetry and experiences.
Jones sees AI as a creative tool rather than a replacement for human artistry. She believes the technology allows her ideas and writing to reach a much wider audience.
“I just feel like AI … it’s the new era that we’re in,” she said. “I look at it as a tool, as an instrument, and utilise it.”
Xania Monet’s manager, Romel Murphy, also defended the creative process behind the project.
He said the team used AI to enhance their existing artistic work. The goal, he explained, is to continue improving the quality of the AI artist.
Murphy stressed that the music still has a human foundation. Jones wrote the lyrics, while the team used AI technology to help bring the songs to life.
“AI helped us bring the message to life and deliver it to the world. But the artistry and the message behind it is all human,” Murphy said.
Xania Monet’s Billboard success could mark an important moment for AI-generated music. Her chart appearance also raises questions about how the music industry will define artists, creativity and authorship in the years ahead.
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