Meet the newest “it girl” of R&B—except she’s not a girl at all. Zenia Monae, the industry’s latest experiment, just bagged a $3 million record deal and a Billboard #1 hit. Sounds like a dream come true, right? Wrong. Because Zenia isn’t human. She’s a fully AI-generated artist created by a woman named Telicia Jones with the help of music app Sunno, which just so happens to be backed by Timbaland (yes, the same Timbaland who once tried to launch his own robot popstar named Tata). Welcome to the future, where labels can design a singer like a Build-A-Bear and skip paying real artists for their blood, sweat, and vocal cords.
Telicia used AI to create Zenia’s glamorous image and her music, like playing Sims—but with Billboard charts at stake. The tech is trained on music catalogs that labels have been snatching up, which might explain why Zenia’s voice sounds like a remix of Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, and a dash of Tiffany Evans. Imagine a cursed Spotify playlist where your faves get blended into one—creepy, right? And yet, Zenia’s songs are already climbing, with one topping Billboard’s R&B digital sales chart, while countless real-life Black artists are still hustling for scraps.
If you think this is just a TikTok gimmick, think again. The industry is grooming us for non-human performers. Look at the animated K-pop group Demon Hunters—millions of streams and no human in sight. It’s the rehearsal dinner before the main event, where CGI girls headline and the rest of us clap along like it’s normal.
Stars Slam Zenia Monae: “No Soul, No Passion, Just Noise”
Of course, not everyone’s clapping. SZA reposted, “If it has no soul, if it’s not made with passion, I’m repulsed by it,” and added that she flat-out hates AI. Chloe Bailey said AI in music makes her sad and should be banned from creative spaces altogether. Rising singer Kaani warned that AI can now write, sing, remix, and repackage full songs without crediting a soul. And Tiffany Evans? She wasn’t having it: “Baby, the only Monae we acknowledge is Victoria. Don’t let me find out you ran my voice through Sunno.” The girls are fuming, and honestly—same.
The reason labels are so eager is simple: AI artists don’t need tour buses, contracts, or sleep. They don’t ask for raises, they don’t threaten to walk, and they can be endlessly repackaged. Don’t want your star to age? No problem. Need her to perform live? Just project a hologram. It’s cheaper, cleaner, and completely under corporate control. The darker twist? R&B seems to be the first target, which means real Black artistry could be quietly swapped out for soulless algorithms designed to sound like Beyoncé without Beyoncé’s paycheck.
This isn’t just some quirky sci-fi stunt—it’s a warning. Real artistry is at risk of being replaced by a Photoshop-perfect avatar with a hard drive full of stolen riffs. The music industry is officially playing Sims with our culture. So, the question is: will you be streaming Zenia Monae’s chart-topper, or are you ready to boycott the bots?