TLDR: Mississippi poet Telisha Jones used AI to give her lyrics a voice as Xania Monet, landing a $3 million record deal and a Billboard No. 1—proving the fight isn’t human vs. machine, but whether the industry will use the tech to amplify unheard writers or just replace them with cheaper, risk-free product.
Picture this: Music executives lean into a high-stakes Zoom call, ready to sign a new R&B star. They ask her to turn on her camera. She declines. They ask her to sing a few bars. She can't. This isn't diva behavior—it's because Xania Monet, the artist commanding their attention, isn't human. And yet, she just landed a $3 million record deal with Hallwood Media, one of the largest contracts in AI music history.
Wait, what?
Welcome to the surreal reality of the music industry's first major AI singer, whose debut single "How Was I Supposed To Know" shot to No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Digital Song Sales chart in September 2025. But behind the synthetic voice and the shocking headlines lies a far more compelling story. This isn't about robots replacing musicians. It's about a poet from Mississippi with something to say and a controversial new tool to say it with. So who is Xania Monet, really? The answer has more soul than you'd expect.
Meet Telisha Jones – The Poet Turning Words into Soul
Before Xania Monet became a Billboard phenomenon, she was an idea in the mind of Telisha "Nikki" Jones, a 31-year-old poet and design studio owner from Olive Branch, Mississippi. Jones is the human heart of this operation, writing every lyric Xania performs. For her, AI isn't a replacement for creativity—it's a microphone for someone who might not otherwise get one.
Using the AI platform Suno, Jones transforms her poetry into fully produced R&B tracks, bypassing the industry's traditional gatekeepers. No vocal training. No expensive studio time. No industry connections required. In a world where access determines who gets heard, Jones sees AI as a democratizing force. As she told CBS Mornings, "This is real music—it's real R&B. There's an artist behind it."
She's not wrong. The artist is her.
Think of it less as a ghost in the machine and more as a supercharged creative amplifier that lets the storyteller shine without the barriers. Jones isn't hiding behind the technology—she's claiming full ownership of her songwriting and production credits. She's even planning collaborations with human producers on future projects, ensuring her artistic vision remains at the core. The AI singer Xania Monet is ultimately an extension of Jones's voice, not a replacement for it.
Xania Monet's Meteoric Rise and the $3 Million Deal
The industry didn't just notice Jones's experiment—it threw money at it.
Xania Monet's success has been explosive. "How Was I Supposed To Know" didn't just top the digital sales chart; it became the first AI artist's song to crack a Billboard radio airplay list, debuting on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. Another track, "Let Go, Let God," hit No. 21 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart. With nearly 10 million U.S. streams and a spot at No. 25 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart, Xania had the numbers to back up the hype.
This sparked a bidding war that culminated in the $3 million deal with Hallwood Media, led by former Interscope executive Neil Jacobson. The project even has the backing of legendary producer Timbaland, who serves as a strategic advisor at Suno through his company Stage Zero. For the first time, a record label is treating an AI creation on par with a human musician.
Is this the future of innovation, or just a shiny new way to package timeless soul? The question lingers, especially when you consider that Jones retains full creative control while the "artist" becomes the face of the project.
Industry Backlash and the Philosophical Tug-of-War
Not everyone is rushing to welcome music industry AI with open arms.
The deal immediately sparked fierce debate. R&B artist Kehlani called it a "money grab" in a now-deleted TikTok video. SZA voiced concerns about AI eroding the emotional integrity that makes music connect. Their skepticism points to a larger philosophical tug-of-war: Is this empowering creators or just creating a shortcut for labels to churn out homogenous, risk-free hits?
The critics have valid points. The rise of synthetic voices opens a Pandora's box of complex issues. The U.S. Copyright Office currently allows AI as an assistive tool, but the legal status of sound recordings blending human lyrics with AI-generated vocals remains murky. There are legitimate fears about cultural appropriation, sound homogenization, and long-term risks to human jobs in an industry already struggling to pay artists fairly.
It's easy to joke about labels chasing AI deals faster than a viral TikTok trend, but the underlying concern is real. Are we celebrating a new form of artistry or watching the industry find a cheaper, more controllable product?
Jones offers a different perspective. She views AI as a tool that enables accessibility for lyricists and storytellers who lack traditional resources. The technology didn't write her songs—it simply gave her poetry a voice. The soul in Xania's music comes from Jones's words, her emotion, her stories. The AI is just the instrument.
The Real Question We Should Be Asking
The story of Xania Monet is less about artificial intelligence and more about human ambition. It's the story of Telisha Jones, a writer who found a new way to share her voice with the world. While the industry scrambles to monetize this frontier, the fundamental truth remains: the artist behind the AI singer is still a person with something to say.
The real question isn't whether an AI can make a hit song. We already know the answer to that. The question is whether the industry will use this technology to amplify overlooked human creators like Jones—or simply to cut them out of the picture entirely.
Will AI unlock a million more voices like Telisha Jones, or will it just create an echo chamber of perfect, plastic pop designed to maximize streams and minimize risk? Will it democratize music or homogenize it? Will it elevate the human spirit or serve unchecked greed?
That's a story still being written. And unlike Xania Monet's tracks, we're all co-authors of what comes next.