The music world is facing a new frontier, and some of its brightest voices are sounding the alarm. Kehlani and SZA have publicly expressed their concerns over the meteoric rise of AI-generated music, focusing on Xania Monet, an AI R&B artist who recently signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Hallwood Media.
Monet, a creation of Mississippi-based designer and poet Talisha “Nikki” Jones, turns Jones’s own poetry into R&B tracks using AI. Remarkably, about 90% of the lyrics reflect Jones’s personal experiences, giving the songs a human-like emotional depth. Monet’s debut single, “How Was I Supposed to Know,” quickly climbed charts, hitting number one on Billboard’s R&B Digital Song Sales chart and amassing nearly 10 million streams, half of them in a single week.
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The Deal That Sparked Outrage
Reports suggest multiple parties bid up to $3 million (R50 million) for Monet’s contract—a figure unprecedented for a non-human artist. For Kehlani, the deal highlights a fundamental problem.
“There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multi-million dollar deal and has a top five R&B album, and the person is doing none of the work,” Kehlani said on social media.
She emphasized that AI can not only replicate vocals but create entire songs, rewrite tracks into different genres, and operate without crediting anyone. For many musicians, this represents an existential threat to the creative work that defines the industry.
@musicbusinessunlocked Kehlani just called out AI artist Xania Monet, who signed a multi-million dollar deal and already has a charting R&B album. She said the person isn’t doing any of the work and nobody has to be credited. While it sounds scary, that’s not the full picture. Telisha Monique Jones is listed as the songwriter and is likely writing all the lyrics, while using AI as the face and to build the musical elements. But what does this mean for artists and producers moving forward, are we cooked? If labels can cut out producers, engineers, and even performers by replacing them with algorithms, where does that leave real artists? Creativity is being turned into code, and the business is acting like it’s the same thing. This is the red flag for the whole industry and feels like the start of a dangerous new era. #musicbusinessunlocked #musicbusiness #musicindustry #ai #rnb ♬ original sound – MusicBusinessUnlockedShop
SZA Weighs in on Social and Environmental Impact
SZA extended the conversation beyond artistry, warning that AI’s development comes at a social and environmental cost. On Instagram, she wrote:
“People and children are dying from the harm and pollution that AI energy centres are creating. A stupid photo is not worth polluting and harming underserved communities.”
She also urged fans not to create AI-generated songs or images of her and criticized Monet, saying:
“I don’t f#ck with this either. Why devalue our music? Something tells me they wouldn’t do this with another genre.”
Public Reaction: Artists, Fans, and a Broader Debate
Social media reaction has been intense. Fans voiced support for Kehlani and SZA, with comments like, “AI needs to be banned at this point. Like it’s extremely scary.” Others questioned how AI might reshape entire genres, undervaluing human creativity while enriching corporate interests.
In South Africa and beyond, this debate resonates with local artists who struggle to compete with global AI-driven trends. It also raises ethical questions about labor, originality, and cultural value in music—a conversation that has only just begun.
A Crossroads for Music
As AI music grows in popularity, traditional artists face tough choices: experiment with AI tools or resist them to protect their craft. For Kehlani and SZA, the answer is clear—they will not compromise artistic integrity. The controversy surrounding Xania Monet underscores a pivotal moment in music history, where technology, creativity, and ethics collide in ways the industry has never seen before.
Source: IOL
Featured Image: X{@ComplexMusic}
