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Photo Credit: AI artist Xania Monet (Instagram)
AI artist Xania Monet is getting enough radio play to become the first AI artist to debut on a Billboard radio chart.
If you thought only streaming platforms were feeling the onslaught of artificial intelligence-created (AI) artists and generated music, think again. Even radio stations aren’t safe from the budding industry of AI-generated content. According to Billboard, an AI singer called Xania Monet has become the first known AI artist to earn enough radio airplay to debut on a Billboard radio chart.
Obviously, Xania Monet isn’t a real person, but her music is created by one. Several of them, in fact. The AI artist was created by Mississippi-based songwriter Telisha “Nikki” Jones, who writes the lyrics and uses AI model Suno—as well as the help of some real-life humans—to create Xania’s songs.
Xania’s music has appeared on multiple Billboard charts since debuting over the summer. These include the Hot Gospel Songs chart (“Let Go, Let God”) and the Hot R&B Songs chart (“How Was I Supposed to Know”), the publication reports.
The AI’s success on the Billboard charts has led to a bidding war that saw the artist signing an approximately $3 million deal with Hallwood Media, led by former Interscope executive Neil Jacobson.
Notably, Billboard reports that at least one AI artist has debuted in each of the past four chart weeks—a streak that suggests it’s a rapidly accelerating trend. Unbound Music, an AI-assisted project by songwriter Terrance LeDoux, debuted at #47 on the Emerging Artists chart dated October 11, with a track called “You Got This.” Another AI-assisted project, Enlly Blue, by songwriter Thong Viet, debuted at #44 on the same chart dated October 18, with a song called “Through My Soul.”
Juno Skye, a contemporary Christian AI-powered artist whose songs are credited to Nguyen Duc Nam, debuted at #44 on the Emerging Artists chart dated October 25, with the track “Lord, You Are My Strength.” Juno’s catalog has earned an impressive 1.6 million official streams.
The latest entrant, debuting at #9 on the Emerging Artists chart this week, is a project called Breaking Rust credited to songwriter Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor. Breaking Rust has also generated 1.6 million official streams, driven by two charting songs, “Livin’ On Borrowed Time” and “Walk My Walk.”
While the number of AI-charting artists has increased in recent weeks, it might make their presence feel quite sudden. But according to Billboard, AI artists have appeared on the charts periodically since the early days of AI in 2023. But as the technology has improved and become more prevalent, the number of projects entering circulation has increased at a notable clip.
The success of Xania Monet and other AI artists like her speaks to the importance of legislation surrounding ethical AI models as more of them enter the market.
