With her stunning good looks, hazel eyes and silky voice – it’s no wonder R&B artist Xania Monet has secured a huge record deal.
The singer, who already has number one hit in the US, has more than 1 million TikTok likes, 110,000 Instagram followers and more than 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
This week, she secured a $3million record deal, with Hallwood Media after a bidding war between multiple labels.
But other artists – including fellow R&B stars SZA and Kehlani have slammed the deal.
The reason? Xania is not real.
The AI-generated artist is the brainchild of Mississippi-bred poet Talisha Jones who created the long-haired, sultry-voiced singer using artificial intelligence to convert her poetry to songs.
AI R&B artist Xania Monet recently landed a multi-million Dollar record deal and is fast rising as an artist in her own right
Xania isn’t the first AI-singer to build a following.
Capitol Records’ ‘fictional’ rapper FN Meka, and more recently ‘virtual popstar’ Mila Hayes have also emerged in recent months.
And big guns like Drake, the late Tupac and even Donald Trump have all fallen victim to eerily accurate voices commanding their very own music tracks.
Enough was enough however for the likes of Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, and the estate of Frank Sinatra who last year contributed to 200 famous signatories demanding tech companies defend them from replacement at the hands of AI tools, reported The Guardian.
They perhaps preempted the underground dominance of today’s Xania Monet – a reality that appears to have hit some A-listers like a truck.
Undoubtedly Xania’s ability to belt out vocals reminiscent of ‘Beyoncé and Mary J Blige’ – say some fans – alongside the input of 31-year-old Talisha’s consoling lyrics about heartbreak and life have put some to shame.
‘You’ve been putting in work when nobody sees, planting seeds in silence watering dreams’ sings Xania effortlessly in one of her recent Instagram videos
‘Smiling through pain still showing up even when life keeps calling your bluff. They don’t know what it costs you to stay in the race, the prayers you whispered with tears on your face’ she continued.
Xania Monet is the brainchild of Mississippi-bred poet Talisha Jones who created the long-haired, sultry-voiced singer using artificial intelligence to convert her poetry to songs
Donning a blue cotton tracksuit and showing off her long, black wavy tresses, the singer sways from side to side in a virtual studio, as a pair of large headphones cover her ears.
Xania takes on reality by mirroring the exact emotion we’ve all seen in Beyoncé and Rihanna as they belt out powerful lyrics about love.
The caption is even more evoking: ‘If you’re reading this, don’t give up’ writes the owner of the page.
‘Every closed door, every sleepless night, every ‘not yet’ was never the end, it was preparation.
‘What you’ve prayed for, cried for, and fought for is closer than you think. Keep walking in faith, because your time is coming. Don’t stop now’.
Her perfect, yet constructed beauty is also not to be missed. Xania’s smooth brown complexion, spotless skin, faux lashes and lightly contoured makeup is surely admired by all genders.
One fan shared their surprise that Xania’s vocals are not derived from a human being.
‘The whole album is [fire emoji] but just found out it was AI generated’ they wrote.
Undoubtedly Xania’s ability to belt out vocals reminiscent of ‘Beyoncé and Mary J Blige’ – say some fans – alongside the input of 31-year-old Talisha’s consoling lyrics about heartbreak and life – have put some to shame
‘I listen to this daily to keep me going! These songs are inspirational and motivational! Thank you for your songs!’ wrote one woman.
After purchasing Xania’s body of work, one fan wrote: ‘AI or not I don’t care – I got both albums & blast them both’.
‘Music is music’ stated another coming to her defense. ‘If it touches your soul and the lyrics resonate with you, it’s music. There’s no difference between a writer having a singer sing their song or a writer having AI sing it. Haters gonna hate but this is still talent. My wife loves your songs’.
Xania’s unwavering public support is perhaps the reason her new single ‘How Was I Supposed to Know’ – a song about perpetual heartbreak due to the absence of her father – reached No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales.
With heart wrenching lyrics like ‘So I chase love with an open wound, looking for something I was never introduced to/My mama did her best, but she can’t teach what it feels like when a father speaks’, it appears her penchant for hooking deep, real life experiences has earned her a large fanbase that can only grow.
Still Kehlani – who is amidst promo for her new hit, Folded, a song that also tackles heartbreak – doesn’t ‘respect’ it.
Singer Kehlani recently took to TikTok to vent about the influence of AI on the music scene, and says she fears it is now ‘beyond our control’
Sza said she ‘hates’ the force of AI in the music industry and told her fans not to ‘make any AI images of me’
‘There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multi-million-dollar deal, and has a Top 5 R&B album, and the person is doing none of the work’ she vented on TikTok last week.
She appeared perplexed while explaining that AI ‘can make the entire f***ing song.
‘It can make the entire beat’ she continued. ‘And they don’t have to credit anyone’.
She expressed fears that AI’s contribution to the music scene ‘is so beyond our control’
‘Nothing or no one will ever be able to justify AI to me’ she added.
She also spoke directly to Xania’s fans and her creator Talisha Jones, writing: ‘People saying “damn I don’t care she’s so relatable’. IT – not she – is taking all of the data it’s collected on us and what we want, and is tailoring to us. Even down to the voice’.
‘Well the creator is a poet who can’t sing but wanted to make her ideas come to life’. Maybe she should write a poetry book. I love to support a good poet. I cannot paint so I’m not going to create Al paintings and sell them, taking up space from up coming painters’.
The sentiment is one shared by chart-topping singer and songwriter, Sza, who took to Instagram to share her own unfiltered thoughts on AI.
‘Hey I hate AI’ she posted on her Instagram story. ‘If you f*** with me PLEASE don’t make any AI images of me or songs. People and children are dying from the harm and pollution AI energy centers are creating.
‘A stupid photo is not worth polluting and harming under served communities. Thank you’.
