Artificial intelligence is leaving its mark on the Billboard charts.
An AI artist called Xania Monet has become the first of the kind to get enough plays for a debut on a Billboard radio chart, per Billboard.
Monet's song "How Was I Supposed to Know?" came out at No. 30 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart this week. She also took the top spot on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart and, since the summer, has appeared on Hot Gospel Songs, Hot R&B Songs, and Emerging Artists charts.
She has reportedly racked up 44.4 million official U.S. streams with her catalog, equating to over $52,000 in a couple of months.
The artist's lyrics are created by Telisha "Nikki" Jones, a Mississippi-born poet who created the AI artist with help from Suno, a generative music creation platform.
While her Apple Music artist profile describes her as “a contemporary R&B vocalist,” Monet’s rapid rise has been fueled by viral attention and high-profile industry interest.
Hallwood Media signed the artist in a multimillion-dollar record deal following a "bidding war" among labels eager to stake an early claim in AI-driven music, according to Billboard.
Not everyone is celebrating, as actual musicians have expressed frustration at growing AI trends in the industry.
“There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multimillion-dollar deal … and the person is doing none of the work,” Kehlani said in a since-deleted TikTok video. “Nothing and no one on Earth will ever be able to justify AI to me.”
Despite industry backlash, Monet’s team insists the goal isn’t to replace human talent.
“AI doesn’t replace the artist,” said Romel Murphy, Monet’s manager, in an interview with CNN’s Victor Blackwell. “It’s a new frontier. Like any change, some people are receptive and some are apprehensive — but it doesn’t take away from the human experience.”
