Xania Monet, the AI-driven R&B act created by author Telisha “Nikki” Jones, returned on Friday, Dec. nineteenth, with a pointed new single titled “Say My Name With Respect.” The monitor arrives at a second when conversations about AI’s position in music have turn out to be more and more polarized, and Monet makes use of the tune to instantly confront those that have dismissed her artistry, together with Kehlani, who has been outspoken about her disapproval of AI performers. Monet’s newest launch positions her as somebody decided to claim her place within the style, pushing again towards claims that her work lacks authenticity.

On the file, Monet challenges critics who query the emotional depth of her music or the inventive labor behind it. She sings, “Funny how you went to the media first/ Talking about my pen like you know my work/ You don’t know the nights I cried to write/ Or how many songs healed somebody’s life/ You say I ain’t real/ You say I don’t create/ But your voice shake a little every time you create because deep down you know I’m destined to shine.” Though she by no means explicitly names Kehlani, the message seems aimed on the “Folded” singer and others who’ve publicly rejected AI musicians’ legitimacy.

Monet goes additional later within the tune, including: “You keep saying I’m not a real artist, right/ But somehow my songs still change somebody’s night/ People say my lyrics saved them, that’s real art.” Her response arrives after months of criticism directed at AI performers, particularly after stories surfaced that Monet had secured a multimillion-dollar file deal. Back in September, Kehlani reacted strongly on-line, writing: “There is an AI R&B artist who just signed a multimillion-dollar deal… and the person is doing none of the work. This is so beyond out of our control. Nothing and no one on Earth will ever be able to justify AI to me. I don’t respect it.”