Trinity Hadassah Yates 
Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a 31-year-old poet from Mississippi, revealed herself as the creator of Xania Monet during an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings. The exclusive interview recently aired after Jones signed a reported $3 million record deal following a bidding war. Xania Monet has become the first AI artist to debut on a Billboard radio chart with the single “How was I Supposed to Know?”
The Viral Moment
The interview made waves when King directly challenged Jones on authenticity. “But you can’t sing!” King said, pressing the creator on a question that many in the music industry were thinking.
King continued, “What do you say to people that say other singers who have actually worked hard, who have practiced their craft, who are really struggling to get heard, who are really doing the actual singing. That you seem to have taken a shortcut?”
Jones defended her approach, saying, “I wouldn’t call it a shortcut because I still put in the work, and anytime something new challenges what we’re used to, you’re going to get strong reactions.”
How It Works
Jones uses the AI platform Suno to create Xania’s singing voice, which has drawn comparisons to Beyoncé and Melanie Fiona. “The lyrics are 100% me,” Jones explained, noting they come from poems inspired by her own life experiences.
A Divided Industry
The rise of Xania Monet has sparked fierce debate. Singer Kehlani reacted on TikTok, saying, “There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multi-million-dollar deal, and the person is doing none of the work. Nothing and no one on Earth will ever be able to justify AI to me.” Despite controversy, Xania Monet continues making history, appearing on at least five Billboard charts and racking up millions of streams across platforms.
By Trinity Hadassah, Senior, Northwest High School
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