Is your new favourite singer AI? Some people think Sienna Rose could be
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Sienna Rose was found to have released 45 tracks on streaming platforms from Sept 28 to Dec 5.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM REDDIT/POPHEADS
She is a jazz singer with more than 3.2 million monthly listeners on music streaming platform Spotify. Her songs, three of which have clinched a spot in Spotify’s Viral Top 50, are described as a medley of dreamy soul and modern R&B.
Meet Sienna Rose, best known for her instant hits Into The Blue, Safe With You and Where Your Warmth Begins.
But some seem to think she does not exist.
Streaming service Deezer told British broadcaster BBC that many of Rose’s albums and songs on the platform have been detected and flagged as computer-generated.
In its Jan 17 report, BBC said that between Sept 28 and Dec 5, she uploaded at least 45 tracks to various streaming services, a challenging feat even for experienced artistes. Her most popular song, Into The Blue, has been played more than five million times since it was released in September.
Checks by The Straits Times found her Instagram account to be deactivated. The singer has also reportedly not released any music videos or held any concerts.
According to BBC, her Instagram page was home to a string of headshots with hazy lighting, characteristic of images generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
Rose has faced AI allegations since her debut in 2024, but the debate on her authenticity was recently reignited, thanks to American actress-singer Selena Gomez.
Gomez posted pictures of the Golden Globes Awards on Instagram on Jan 12 with Rose’s Where Your Warmth Begins as the soundtrack. The song has since been removed from the post after discussions on Rose’s identity picked up online.
Some listeners have said a characteristic in Rose’s songs that points to AI is a hiss-like sound running throughout her tracks.
“When the (software) adds all the layers and the instruments, it introduces errors,” Dr Gabriel Meseguer-Brocal, a senior research scientist at Deezer, told the BBC. “They’re not perceptual, we cannot listen to them, but they’re easy to spot if you do a few mathematical operations.”
Casual listeners also highlight signs such as inconsistent drum patterns and bland lyrics in Rose’s songs.
TikTok user Destiny said she discovered Rose’s music through Spotify’s recommendations feature, which typically serves listeners artistes performing a similar genre of songs.
“I listen to Olivia Dean all the time and, recently, I’ve just noticed that when my playlists finish and Spotify recommendations play, it’s these AI artistes,” she said.
Another TikTok user, itstenzndasel, said in response to theories accusing Rose of being AI: “I just listened to her and I am heartbroken.”
While it remains unclear if Rose is indeed AI, the recent spate of AI-generated music on popular streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music has created much frenzy. Some listeners say these platforms should not allow AI-generated music to be uploaded, others say more should be done to label music as such.
“Spotify should label them as AI,” said TikTok user Mikee Gonzales, adding that the lack of such information is frustrating.
Spotify told the BBC that “it’s not always possible to draw a simple line between AI and non-AI music”.
The spokesperson added that the platform does not create or own any music, and does not promote or penalise tracks created using AI tools.
Earlier this week, Sweden banned one of its chart-topping folk-pop songs for being created by AI. I Know, You’re Not Mine was taken down after the identity of the artiste Jacub could not be traced back to a single person.
In 2025, artists such as Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Damon Albarn, the Pet Shop Boys and Annie Lennox released a silent album in protest against companies who use AI to work on copyrighted pieces without permission.
