• 2025-
• Created by Mississippi-born poet Telisha Nikki Jones, Xania Monet is an AI artist who took social media by storm with a string of powerful heartache ballads from her debut album, Unfolded. Her viral R&B song "How Was I Supposed To Know?" gained enough traction on the radio to earn her a spot on Billboard's Adult R&B Airplay chart, making Monet the first-known AI artist to appear on an airplay survey.
• When Jones first created Monet, she didn't intend on making the next big R&B singer - she just wanted to teach herself how to use AI. With a portfolio of original poems at her disposal, she used the AI music platform Suno to turn them into songs by experimenting with a variety of prompts that generated the vocals and instrumentation. She landed on the right combination when a female R&B powerhouse emerged and, just four months later, Xania Monet was earning millions of streams on TikTok and Spotify.
• Jones wasn't upfront about Monet being AI-generated in the early days of her popularity. Everybody was fooled, including a number of record executives who were interested in signing the R&B singer to a recording contract. They grew suspicious when Monet refused to appear on a Zoom call, with Jones claiming she wasn't camera-ready, and declined to sing for them. Jones finally revealed herself as the mastermind with an appearance on CBS Mornings, so fans could see there was a real Black woman who wrote the lyrics for Monet based on her own experiences - she just didn't have the vocal talent to sing them herself.
  
  "Xania is an extension of me, so I look at her as a real person," she said.
• Xania Monet caused a firestorm of controversy when she was ultimately signed by Hallwood Media to a $3 million contract that allowed Jones to retain the rights to all of her lyrics. The news left many traditional artists aghast, with R&B singer Kehlani sharing her outrage on TikTok, saying, "There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multimillion-dollar deal, and has a Top 5 R&B album, and the person is doing none of the work."
  
  Monet's manager, Romel Murphy, disagreed, claiming the heart and soul of Xania Monet was not in her AI-generated vocals, but in Jones' lyrics. "This is real music - it's real R&B," he insisted in a 2025 Billboard interview. "There's an artist behind it."
• Jones wrote poetry as a hobby, but it didn't pay the bills. She owns the printing company Nikki's Designs & Prints, based in Olive Branch, Mississippi.
• Monet's songs are also imbued with Jones' spirituality. The popularity of faith-based tracks like "Let Go, Let God," which peaked at #3 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart, stirred conversations over whether a soulless machine could, or should, sing about God's grace. Jones reasoned that AI is just another creative tool that can get the message to the masses, using Monet's popularity as proof of its validity.

Comments

More Songfacts:

WaterfallsTLC

Cee-Lo Green sang backup on the 1994 TLC hit "Waterfalls."

Eyes Without A FaceBilly Idol

Billy Idol's "Eyes Without A Face" has a gruesome inspiration. It's based on a 1959 French movie about a surgeon who abducts young women and removes their facial features.

GypsyFleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac's "Gypsy" is about Stevie Nicks' best friend, who died of leukemia.

Dude (Looks Like A Lady)Aerosmith

"Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" by Aerosmith was inspired by Vince Neil from Motley Crue.

Poker FaceLady Gaga

The "Mum-mum-mum-ma" hook on lady Gaga's "Poker Face" was sampled from Boney M's 1977 hit "Ma Baker."

Velcro FlyZZ Top

The music video for ZZ Top's "Velcro Fly" was choreographed by Paula Abdul.

Editor's Picks

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

Dr. JohnSongwriter Interviews

The good doctor shares some candid insights on recording with Phil Spector and The Black Keys.

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.