*An emerging R&B singer named Xania Monet has quickly risen to prominence with millions of streams and chart success, but there’s a twist — she isn’t a real person.
As Billboard reports, Monet is the creation of Telisha Jones, a Mississippi-based poet and designer who writes her own lyrics and uses the AI music platform Suno to transform them into full songs. Monet’s public persona is also entirely AI-generated.
Jones recently signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Hallwood Media, an independent music company founded by former Interscope executive Neil Jacobson. This deal represents a major milestone in the music industry’s exploration of artificial intelligence. However, some major labels reportedly backed away from the project, reflecting the ongoing legal uncertainties around AI-generated music.
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According to the U.S. Copyright Office, a work can be copyrighted if AI is used only as an assistive tool to support human creativity. However, if a machine determines the expressive elements of the work, it is not eligible for copyright protection. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. If a song is deemed uncopyrightable, it becomes vulnerable to unauthorized uploads and monetization on streaming platforms and creates uncertainty over who, if anyone, can claim royalties.
Jones argues that her contributions merit copyright protection, noting that she wrote the lyrics and provided substantial human input in composing the music. Monet’s success has sparked backlash among artists. As Complex reports, Kehlani voiced her frustration on TikTok, saying, “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 continued, “AI can also make the entire f*cking song. It can sing the entire song. It can make the entire beat… This is so beyond out of our control. Nothing and no one on Earth will ever be able to justify AI to me.”
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SZA also weighed in on social media, writing, “Ion fw this either why devalue our music ??? Something tells me they wouldn’t do this w another genre.”
She further urged fans not to create AI images or songs of her, stating, “Ppl and children are dying from the harm n pollution Ai energy centers are creating. A stupid photo is not worth polluting and harming under served communities. Thank you.”
Freddie Gibbs expressed concern over artists relying on AI to write lyrics, saying, “We in a lazy day and age, man. Heart is dying and you got to ask a computer to write your lyrics, shit is wack.”
Per Billboard, Nathaniel Bach, a litigator at the law firm Manatt, notes the uncertainty surrounding AI performers: “Labels are surely paying for earned media and buzz around such AI ‘artists.’ Whether fans develop long-term connections with such avatars — or if they are more of a novelty act — remains to be seen.”
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