Artificial intelligence has officially arrived on the Billboard radio charts. Xania Monet, an AI-powered R&B vocalist, has made history as the first recognized AI artist to earn sufficient radio airplay to debut on a Billboard radio chart. Her breakthrough single “How Was I Supposed to Know?” secured the No. 30 position on the Adult R&B Airplay chart, marking a watershed moment in music industry history. Created by Mississippi poet Telisha “Nikki” Jones and powered by the Suno generative AI music creation platform, Xania Monet represents a fascinating intersection of artificial intelligence, human artistry, and contemporary songwriting. Her meteoric rise—from debut in summer 2025 to a multimillion-dollar record deal with Hallwood Media—has sparked both celebration and significant industry debate about the future of music creation.
Making History: First AI Artist to Chart on Billboard Radio
Historic Achievement: November 1, 2025 | Chart Position: No. 30 Adult R&B Airplay | Peak Positions (Other Charts): No. 1 R&B Digital Song Sales, No. 1 Hot Gospel Songs, No. 21 Emerging Artists
On November 1, 2025, Xania Monet made music history by becoming the first AI-powered artist to achieve sufficient radio airplay for a Billboard radio chart debut. Her breakthrough single “How Was I Supposed to Know?” entered the Adult R&B Airplay chart at No. 30, marking a watershed moment for artificial intelligence in mainstream music. According to Billboard, this represents “the first known AI artist to earn enough radio airplay to debut on a Billboard radio chart.”
The achievement caps an extraordinary trajectory: from debut in summer 2025 to amassing 44.4 million official U.S. streams and earning over $52,000 in just a few months. Beyond the Adult R&B Airplay chart, Xania Monet has simultaneously appeared on multiple Billboard charts, including reaching No. 1 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart with “How Was I Supposed to Know?” and “Let Go, Let God” reaching No. 1 on Hot Gospel Songs.
The Woman Behind the AI: Telisha “Nikki” Jones
Creator and Lyricist: Telisha “Nikki” Jones | Age: 31 | Hometown: Olive Branch, Mississippi
Behind Xania Monet’s digital voice is 31-year-old Mississippi poet Telisha Jones. Born and raised in Olive Branch, Mississippi, Jones is a professional poet and designer who runs her own design studio. Her artistic journey has been rooted in poetry for years, with a deep commitment to authentic emotional expression and personal storytelling. While Xania Monet represents Jones’ entry into the music industry, poetry has been her primary artistic vehicle for years, allowing her to explore themes of identity, resilience, love, and faith.
What distinguishes Jones’ creative approach is her commitment to lyrical authenticity. According to her manager Romel Murphy, approximately 90% of Xania Monet’s lyrics are written directly from Jones’ personal life experiences—her struggles, triumphs, relationships, and spiritual journey. The remaining 10% draws inspiration from close friends and community members. This biographical authenticity is central to Xania Monet’s emotional resonance and why listeners connect with the music despite its AI origins.
Murphy emphasized that the strength of the project lies in lyrical purity: “It’s just the lyrics, and they are pure. That’s what’s catching.” This philosophy—that genuine human emotion, articulated through authentic poetry, can transcend the technological medium—forms the foundation of the Xania Monet project’s surprising success.
From Poetry to AI: The Creation Process
Telisha Jones created Xania Monet through a collaboration between her poetry and Suno, a generative artificial intelligence music creation platform. Suno represents cutting-edge AI technology designed to transform lyrics into complete musical productions—handling composition, melody, vocal performance, and instrumentation. The process begins with Jones’ handwritten or typed poetry, which becomes the lyrical foundation for each Xania Monet track. She then inputs these lyrics into Suno’s system, where the AI generates complete songs featuring a distinctive R&B vocal persona.
The result is music that feels both authentic and artificial—a unique hybrid that has fascinated audiences and industry professionals alike. Xania Monet’s vocal character has been deliberately crafted to evoke contemporary R&B icons like Keyshia Cole, K. Michelle, and Muni Long—artists known for emotionally expressive, church-influenced, relatable vocal styles. This aesthetic positioning helped Xania Monet resonate immediately with R&B audiences, even as the AI origins sparked conversation and debate.
Discography and Notable Releases
July 2025: Initial launch with 12 individually released tracks that generated immediate attention on social media and streaming platforms
August 2025: Full-length album “Unfolded” featuring 24 new songs. The album showcased the range and depth of Telisha Jones’ songwriting, from intimate personal ballads to uplifting gospel-inflected pieces. “How Was I Supposed to Know?” from this album became the breakout hit, eventually climbing Billboard charts and earning massive streaming numbers.
September 2025: Seven-track EP “Pieces Left Behind” and individual single “Daddy,” which demonstrated the project’s versatility and emotional depth
Key Chart-Topping Tracks:
“How Was I Supposed to Know?” — No. 1 R&B Digital Song Sales, No. 30 Adult R&B Airplay
“Let Go, Let God” — No. 1 Hot Gospel Songs
“Daddy” — Individual release with significant streaming performance
Record Deal and Industry Recognition
In September 2025, Telisha Jones signed a multimillion-dollar recording contract with Hallwood Media following what Billboard described as “a bidding war” among labels eager to stake an early claim in AI-driven music. The reported deal value of approximately $3 million demonstrates the recording industry’s recognition of both the novelty and commercial viability of the Xania Monet project.
Neil Jacobson, founder of Hallwood Media and former Interscope executive, recognized the unique opportunity presented by Xania Monet. The deal provides resources for professional production, marketing, radio promotion, and strategic positioning—all critical factors that contributed to Xania Monet’s rapid chart success. Hallwood Media’s backing also lent credibility to the project within industry circles, validating the artistic and commercial merit of AI-assisted music creation.
Where to Listen: Streaming Platforms
Apple Music: Complete discography available on Apple Music with artist profile describing Xania Monet as “an AI figure presented as a contemporary R&B vocalist in the highly expressive, church-bred, down-to-earth vein of Keyshia Cole, K. Michelle, and Muni Long.” All albums and singles accessible with standard Apple Music subscription.
YouTube Music: Artist channel features music videos, visualizers, and full tracks with playlist curation and recommendations
Radio Airplay: “How Was I Supposed to Know?” and other tracks now receiving mainstream radio airplay, particularly on Adult R&B and Gospel radio formats. Radio remains a significant distribution channel for chart performance and audience discovery.
Industry Response and the AI Debate
Xania Monet’s rapid rise has sparked significant conversation within the music industry about the role of artificial intelligence in creative work. While some celebrate the innovation and the democratization of music creation technology, established artists have expressed serious concerns. Grammy-nominated artist Kehlani vocalized her frustration on social media, stating: “There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multimillion-dollar deal … and the person is doing none of the work.” Her video subsequently circulated widely, crystallizing concerns about AI potentially displacing human artists and devaluing the work of professional musicians.
However, Xania Monet’s management team has responded to these concerns by emphasizing that the project represents collaboration between human artistry and technological innovation, not replacement. Manager Romel Murphy told CNN: “AI doesn’t replace the artist. 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.” Murphy emphasized that Telisha Jones’ poetry, emotions, and life experiences form the creative foundation, with Suno providing a technological tool to realize that vision in musical form.
The Future of AI in Music
Xania Monet’s chart success suggests that AI-assisted music creation will likely expand significantly in coming years. As generative music technology becomes more sophisticated and accessible, more artists may explore similar approaches—using AI tools to facilitate creative expression rather than replace human artistry. The question facing the industry is not whether AI will play a role in music creation, but rather how that role will evolve and what safeguards or guidelines should govern its use.
Xania Monet represents a fascinating case study: authentic human emotion (Telisha Jones’ poetry), expressed through modern technological tools (Suno’s AI), achieving mainstream success (Billboard chart debut, multimillion-dollar record deal). Whether this model becomes the future of music creation or remains a novelty remains to be seen. What’s certain is that Xania Monet has fundamentally altered the conversation about what “artist” means in an age of artificial intelligence.
