AI singer Xania Monet has 'heard' all the criticism and addresses it on her new song "Say My Name With Respect" — listen to it below.
Released on Friday (December 19), the song's clip features Monet — who was created with artificial intelligence by Mississippi poet Telisha "Nikki" Jones — receiving backlash from Kehlani and Jermaine Dupri, who have both questioned the appeal of a non-human singer.
The song's lyrics are also a direct reply to those who have slammed the AI artist's authenticity in the media.
"You say I ain’t real / You say I don’t create / But your voice shake a little every time you create because deep down you know I’m destined to shine," Monet sings over a clip of Kehlani questioning Monet's multimillion-dollar record deal.
Adding insult to injury, Monet's breakthrough song "Unfolded," seems to be a play on Kehlani's Grammy-nominated song "Folded."
While Kehlani's critique of Monet and her lyrics has garnered a lot of attention as of late, Dupri's remarks about the AI artist have also been gaining some traction.
"So let me get this right , years ago the industry found out that Milli Vanilli weren’t really the voices on their Grammy winning record and they were stripped of their Grammy, but now we’re getting ready to accept people who can’t even sing, creating songs for a fake person?" he wrote on X last month, recalling the European R&B duo being stripped of their Grammy for Best New Artist in 1990. "How is this any different than Milli Vanilli?"
Negative comments about Monet have also poured in from artists like Wale and Victoria Monét, the latter of whom shared concerns about the AI artist being entangled with her brand.
"It’s hard to comprehend that, within a prompt, my name was not used for this artist to capitalize on," the three-time Grammy winner told Vanity Fair. "I don’t support that. I don’t think that’s fair. When that name starts to ring bells in a certain way, it can easily be mixed up with my brand. It’s not ideal."
But in November, Jones defended the artist she operates in an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion," Jones said. "Technology's evolving. Everybody has different ways of putting in work to get to where they're at. I don't feel that way about it. I still love Kehlani's music. I still listen to her every day."