AI-driven artist Xania Monet has become the first AI act to make room for herself on a Billboard radio chart. Her song, How Was I Supposed to Know? debuted at number 30 on this week’s Adult R&B Airplay survey (dated Nov 1), paving the way for the “future” of the music industry. This is the first time an AI artist has been listed on Billboard’s Radio chart.
She has appeared on multiple Billboard charts, including Hot Gospel Songs and the Hot R&B Songs chart. She became the first AI artist to earn enough radio airplay to finally make her debut on a Billboard Radio chart.
So, who exactly is Xania, and is there an actual, real-life person behind her? Yes. Xania was created by 31-year-old Mississippi poet, Talisha Jones. Jones writes the lyrics all by herself. She then uses the music creation service Suno to transform those lyrics into songs with “Xania”.
AI artist Xania Monet debuts on the Adult R&B Airplay chart with ‘How Was I Supposed To Know?’
It marks the first time an AI artist has made an appearance on Billboard's Radio chart. pic.twitter.com/vuXF1xSBqV
Xania currently has over 161K subscribers on YouTube, 147K followers on Instagram and over a million monthly listeners on Spotify. Check out the song that just debuted on Billboard’s chart:
That’s not all, though. As per Forbes, Neil Jacobson’s independent label Hallwood Media has signed with the AI-artist to a record deal that is reportedly worth $3 million after a bidding war.
Recently, we have seen AI take over many desk jobs, leaving a large number of people unemployed. It is posing a threat to writers, artists, and all other honest workers, and now, it looks like the music industry is one step closer to an AI-powered takeover.
The Artist Behind Xania Monet, Manager Opens up About Talisha Jones
The Internet seems to be divided when it comes to Xania Monet. While some believe this is the beginning of the end, others find solace in the fact that, at least, there is a talented poet behind the AI-artist.
we are actually doomed as a society pic.twitter.com/XG0k2kLrWm
it should be illegal for AI artists to chart at all
I genuinely want actual R&B artists to be seeing this kind of success. Not AI 💔💔💔
Alright this is where I draw the line with ai. I've never cared about ai slop bs because I know the shit ain't real so it never bothered me. But treating a bot as an actual singer calling them an "ai artist" and charting higher than actual talented artists is disgusting🤮
If there is artistic vision and curation behind the work, it’s not slop. Even better if the artist is known and not some faceless entity that you can’t ”be a fan” of.
People follow people.
This blurs the line between artist and persona. AI isn’t replacing creativity; here, it’s amplifying it, giving independent talent the reach of a full production house.
So, who is Talisha Jones? Jones owns a design studio and currently lives in Olive Branch. She comes from humble beginnings and has “been writing poetry for a long time“, as per her manager, Romel Murphy (via Billboard).
Murphy stated that 90% of Jones’ lyrics stem from her own stories, while the remaining 10% are inspired by those around her. What makes her songs different from the rest is “not a hook and a bridge and a catchy chant” but rather, “it’s just the lyrics, and they are pure.“
Jones’ manager added that she grew up singing in church, but isn’t a “vocal beast“. She is a writer and the one responsible for production. She aims to work with more human producers in the future. Murphy said, “This is real music – it’s real R&B. There’s an artist behind it.”
Other AI Artists Taking Over Billboard’s Charts, Including ChildPets Galore
Xania Monet isn’t the only AI artist who has managed to debut on Billboard’s charts. Take a look at a few of them, shall we?
ChildPets Galore:
The Only Thing I Can Take to Heaven debuted at No. 14 on Christian Digital Song Sales (August 16), with over a thousand downloads sold during the week. The credits for the song go to songwriter Cindy Hugo, and the artist has earned 1.2 million streams so far.
Unbound Music:
This AI-assisted project is the brainchild of songwriter Terrance LeDoux, whose song, You Got This, debuted at No. 47 on the Emerging Artists chart (October 11), thanks to their song, You Got This. The artist’s bio admits that they are combining “human creativity with artificial intelligence.” The catalog has 5.5 million streams so far.
Enlly Blue
Songwriter Thong Viet is behind Enlly Blue, who debuted at No. 44 on the Emerging Artists chart (October 18), mainly for Through My Soul. The song also debuted on the Rock Digital Song Sales at No. 15. The artist’s song catalog has surpassed 5.3 million official streams.
Other AI artists debuting on Billboard’s charts include Juno Skye (Nguyen Duc Nam) with 1.6 million official streams and Breaking Rust (Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor) with 1.6 million official U.S. streams.
Do you think the music industry is in danger? Share your two cents on the rise of AI artists in the comments section below!
