Victoria Monét’s long path to stardom has led to Grammy wins and hits written for Ariana Grande, Coco Jones, and others. But with the rise of AI-artist Xania Monet, Victoria is calling things out for what she feels are wrong.
When asked about the AI that bears an uncanny resemblance to her, Victoria told Vanity Fair, “It’s hard to comprehend that, within a prompt, my name was not used for this artist to capitalize on.”
She added, “I don’t support that. I don’t think that’s fair. When that name starts to ring bells in a certain way, it can easily be mixed up with my brand. It’s not ideal.”
Victoria recalled a time when a friend of hers typed in the prompt “Victoria Monét making tacos” into ChatGPT, and the AI image generator produced a photo that looked uncannily like the AI artist who has stirred up plenty of controversy since a recent CBS interview.
The creator of Xania Monet, Telisha “Nikki” Jones told CBS’ Gayle King that she believes the AI is a variation of her, despite King reiterating that the lyricist cannot sing.
“Xania is an extension of me, so I look at her as a real person,” she said. “I just feel like AI…it’s the new era that we’re in. And I look at it as a tool, as an instrument, and utilize it.”
Monét joins a growing list of R&B artists who have hit back at the use of AI in music, particularly Xania, who scored a $3 million recording contract with Hallwood Media earlier this year. Kehlani called out the deal, saying she didn’t “respect it.” In a 2024 interview with GQ, Beyonce said that she felt “scared” after hearing an AI version of her voice. SZA, Baby Tate, K. Michelle and more have all offered their opinions on the emergence of AI artists and in the case of K. Michelle, considered taking legal action.
For Victoria, the shift toward production over creativity in AI art is something she’s not willing to let slide, even as some labels are moving in that direction.
“It definitely puts creators in a dangerous spot because our time is more finite,” Monét said. “We have to rest at night. So, the eight hours, nine hours that we’re resting, an AI artist could potentially still be running, studying, and creating songs like a machine. How would any human ever compete with that?”
