Mystery Deepens Over Sienna Rose And AI Music

In a saga that’s gripped both music fans and industry insiders, the true identity of Sienna Rose—the neo-soul singer who’s amassed almost three million monthly listeners on Spotify—has come under intense scrutiny. With her smooth, Sixties-inspired sound and lyrics about connection and detachment, Rose seemed poised to become the next big thing in modern R&B. Yet, as of January 16, 2026, a growing chorus of voices is questioning whether Sienna Rose is a real person at all, or simply the latest—and most successful—product of artificial intelligence in music.

According to The Tab, Sienna Rose burst onto the scene with her album Honey On The Moon, which features the artist Let Babylon Burn. In just a couple of years, she’s notched up three million monthly listeners and seen her music land on Spotify’s coveted Viral Top 50 playlist. Her hit single “Into the Blue” has racked up over five million streams, while three tracks from her six-song EP released last September made it onto Spotify’s ‘Viral 50-USA’ chart, as reported by The Daily Mail and The Tab.

But the story took a sharp turn when Selena Gomez, one of pop’s biggest stars, briefly shared Rose’s track “Where Your Warmth Begins” on Instagram as part of her Golden Globes photo dump. The endorsement sent Rose’s streaming numbers soaring, but also drew renewed attention to a mystery that’s been simmering for months: is Sienna Rose a flesh-and-blood artist, or the creation of sophisticated AI?

French streaming platform Deezer was among the first to sound the alarm, identifying several of Sienna Rose’s songs as AI-generated. Manuel Moussallam, research director at Deezer, explained that their detection tools look for “compositional artifacts” that hint at machine involvement. “The music world should be a healthy ecosystem,” Moussallam told The Daily Mail, warning that AI-generated artists could overshadow real, hard-working musicians struggling to break through.

Further fueling speculation, Rose’s digital footprint is remarkably sparse. Despite releasing 34 songs since last fall—a staggering output for any artist—her social media presence is almost nonexistent. As of January 14, 2026, her Instagram account @siennarosely had just four posts, all of which promote her music or feature her lip-syncing to her own songs. The videos themselves, fans have noted on platforms like X and Reddit, display telltale signs of AI manipulation: unnaturally smooth skin, inconsistent lighting, and a lack of the subtle imperfections that mark real human footage.

“AI is crazy because why is Sienna Rose this good?! I’m pissed because this is the type of music you go listen to live, smh,” wrote one user on X, echoing a sentiment shared by many fans who feel both awe and unease at the possibility that their new favorite artist may not exist. Comments raising these questions have reportedly disappeared from Rose’s Instagram, but the debate rages on across social media.

Rose’s anonymity only adds to the intrigue. Her original Spotify biography described her as an “anonymous soul singer,” but that line was quietly removed after the launch of her new Instagram account. No collaborators, producers, or friends have come forward to verify her identity, and the generic album artwork offers no clues. Even the Instagram account claiming to be “the honest Sienna” has failed to silence doubts, with many users convinced that both the music and the persona are products of advanced AI tools.

Industry insiders are watching the saga closely, and some are ringing alarm bells about what it could mean for the future of music. Emmy-winning composer Michael Price told The Daily Mail that streaming platforms should allow users to opt out of AI-generated music recommendations altogether. “Flooding the space with AI-produced tracks could jeopardize opportunities for emerging artists, hindering their potential to earn a living from their work,” he cautioned.

This isn’t the first time the music world has been rocked by revelations of AI fakery. Last year, The Velvet Sundown—a supposed band—was exposed as an entirely AI-generated act. Spotify itself has started monitoring the rise of AI music, recently banning the folk-pop track “I Know, You’re Not Mine” from the Swedish charts after its artificial origins were revealed. Glenn McDonald, a former “data alchemist” at Spotify, warned that an onslaught of generic, machine-made music could warp listeners’ expectations and overshadow authentic artistic expression.

Spotify, for its part, has tried to thread the needle between innovation and authenticity. In a statement to The Tab and The Daily Mail, a spokesperson said, “AI is a fast-moving shift for the entire music industry, and it’s not always possible to draw a simple line between ‘AI’ and ‘non-AI’ music.” The company emphasized its commitment to removing spam and deceptive content, strengthening enforcement against impersonation and unauthorized voice cloning, and supporting industry-standard AI disclosures in music credits. “Spotify does not create or own any music, and does not promote or penalize tracks created using AI tools,” the spokesperson added.

All of this has left fans and musicians alike in a state of uncertainty. On one hand, AI-generated music has the potential to democratize creativity, allowing anyone with the right tools to produce tracks that can compete with the best. On the other, there’s a growing fear that algorithms and deepfakes could crowd out genuine talent, making it even harder for real artists to find an audience—and a livelihood.

For Sienna Rose, the questions remain. Despite repeated requests for comment from The Tab, she—or whoever is behind the account—has yet to address the swirling rumors. As the debate over her existence intensifies, her music continues to climb the charts, with millions of listeners tuning in, perhaps none the wiser about whether they’re listening to a breakthrough soul singer or the latest marvel of machine learning.

As the music industry grapples with the implications of AI-generated artistry, the story of Sienna Rose stands as a symbol of both the promise and peril of a new era. For now, her songs remain on repeat, her identity a riddle, and her future—and that of the industry—hanging in the balance.