The Truth Behind the AI Artist Taking Over Your Playlists

An AI account known as Sienna Rose has successfully placed three songs on Spotify’s Viral 50 — USA playlist, after releasing a staggering 10 albums between September and December of last year. The account, which currently boasts 2.7 million monthly Spotify listeners, has even managed to seemingly fool Selena Gomez.

The Selena Gomez Connection

Gomez or her team reportedly removed the Sienna Rose track “Where Your Warmth Begins” from an Instagram post this week. The removal occurred as questions surfaced regarding Rose’s actual existence. While the song was initially used as background for the post, it was scrubbed as the industry began to realize the account is not human.

A Shifting Digital Avatar

The Sienna Rose account has relied on a shifting digital identity to find viral success:

The Evolution: Starting as a pale redhead with an acoustic guitar, the avatar morphed into a brunette and eventually a Black woman singing R&B.
The Trail: Although the human(s) behind the account have scrubbed old albums from Spotify, the evidence remains on platforms like Tidal.

AI “Slop” and the Viral 50

The case of Sienna Rose highlights a growing trend where Spotify’s Viral 50 is becoming a home for emergent AI rather than human artists.

Other AI Artists: The text notes that prompt performers like Breaking Rust (behind the track “Walk My Walk”) are also spending weeks on the playlist.
Precedent: Similar AI artists like The Velvet Sundown and Xania Monet saw their listener counts drop significantly once their artificial nature was revealed.

The Industry Response

While AI accounts continue to game the streaming charts, some platforms are taking a stand. Bandcamp recently made the decision to ban all music generated by AI, a move designed to push back against what critics have labeled “AI slop-mongers” and “grifters.”