These days, artists don’t even need to be real to become a sensation. At least, that seems to be the case for neo-soul “musician” Sienna Rose. This week, the “singer” became a topic of discussion as listeners and observers online debated the high possibility that Rose is, in fact, an artist created by artificial intelligence. They are likely correct.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, streaming platform Deezer confirmed “that many of Sienna Rose’s albums and songs are detected and flagged as AI on Deezer.”
Courtesy of Deezer
Sienna Rose has been the subject of this debate for about a year now. But it all got reignited after the Golden Globes awards ceremony when Selena Gomez posted an Instagram carousel from the event, using Rose’s “Where Your Warmth Begins.” (The song has since been removed from Gomez’s post.) Since then, folks on the internet have turned their attention on the musician with a critical eye.
Sienna Rose’s Spotify profile was the greatest point of speculation. For starters, Rose’s biography describes her as “an anonymous neo-soul singer whose music blends the elegance of classic soul with vulnerability of modern R&B.” The operative word here being “anonymous,” a strange move for an artist in the 21st century when visibility feeds into fame. Despite Sienna Rose’s anonymity, the singer has 2.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. On top of that, she’s also managed to get three songs (“Into the Blue,” “Safe With You,” and “Where Your Warmth Begins”) on Spotify’s Viral 50 – USA playlist.
Then there’s the music of it all. Sienna Rose’s AI-generated music seems to be inspired by real artists like Olivia Dean and Alicia Keys with lush vocals and delicate pianos. But some listeners have noted the “generic” sound of the music. One X user posted about their listening experience: “Started listening to Olivia Dean (fantastic). Within two days Spotify recommended Sienna Rose, who has a similar, but more generic sound. Took me a few songs to realize she’s AI. Is this how Spotify plans to maintain leverage over artists? Cloning sound and stealing listeners?”
Another user on Threads had similar complaints. “Sienna Rose is the ultimate case study in AI music finally becoming good enough. It’s not just about the tech anymore, it’s about the fact that it can now pass the test for the average listener & Spotify algo[rithm],” they wrote, adding, “When a track is polished enough to fool someone like Selena Gomez and millions of daily listeners, the algorithm stops being a tool for discovery. It becomes a delivery system for statistically perfect sound.”
On the other hand, another X user seemed to enjoy Rose’s songs. “I just discovered Sienna Rose?! 10/10 ma’am come and get your flowers! Such beautiful music, my goodness,” they wrote. Still, one X user was skeptical about any praise on the social media platform, noting, “Don’t fall for these blue checks attempting to legitimize Sienna Rose.”
Additionally, Sienna Rose also doesn’t have a social media presence — she’s anonymous, remember? Some users on Reddit found this component suspicious. “I couldn’t find her on any socials — or just any info on Google in general,” wrote one user. “I was just thinking how soothing this sounded but then found it weird I couldn’t find this ‘artist’ on socials…I’m cooked LOL,” wrote another.
Sienna Rose is the latest artist to make listeners online and beyond debate the issue of AI-generated music and artists. Last summer, the Velvet Sundown sparked debate and extensive media coverage when they debuted on popular Spotify playlists and insisted they were not AI-generated. Finally, the band’s Spotify bio clarified that they were indeed “visualized with the support of artificial intelligence.”
Last year, Glenn McDonald, a former “data alchemist” at Spotify, told Rolling Stone that the prominence of AI artists is emblematic of a move “away from understandable algorithms with strong grounding in actual human listening and communities” and toward AI-driven systems that “can pick songs for recommendations based on characteristics of their audio.”
In September, Spotify announced that AI-generated “bands” and “artists” are allowed on the platform, but would be encouraged to label their projects properly. “We’re not here to punish artists for using AI authentically and responsibly,” said Charlie Hellman, Spotify’s VP global head of music product in a statement announcing the streaming giant’s AI guidelines. “We hope that artists’ use of AI production tools will enable them to be more creative than ever.” Despite these guidelines, artists like Sienna Rose and the infamous the Velvet Sundown are proof that AI musicians are running rampant on the platform.
