
Spotify Introduces AI DJ Xavier, Spinning Your Hits
Spotify has introduced an AI DJ that will spin your favorites from your back catalog, new hits, and introduce you to new music you may not have heard.
Now, I will say that we’re sharing this “news” as of June 27 when we were finally prompted by Spotify to try it out, but the tool debuted in February 2023 according to the press release. But if you’re new to the tool (like us), here’s what to expect.
DJ X (who introduces himself to you as Xavier) shares his mission, that he’ll present you with song set blocks, and he’ll switch up the vibe between the tracks as time goes on. If you’re not feeling what he’s laying down, you can hit the DJ button early and he’ll switch it up. We put this practice in right away, because the user profile we’re using happens to listen to rain sounds for sleep, and the AI first prompted us for “field sounds.”
After tapping the DJ button, it rerouted the musical experience to Paramore’s “Running Out Of Time” while giving us a background blurb on Paramore’s tour, the throwback songs they added to their setlist and more. It paired the song with a jam from Nothing But Thieves, before rerouting the music to the new sound of 30 Seconds to Mars with “Stuck.”
The DJ’s mission is to bring you some songs you like, along with songs that could be comparable to your taste. Going off that test, it played a Paramore song I obsessed over, then a “new (to me)” track on the Nothing But Thieves, and then went back to a song I listened to a few times in 30 Seconds To Mars.
It continued building out the profile with a Måneskin track called “Baby Said” before merging into Foo Fighters’ debut track off their new album ‘But Here We Are’ called “Rescued.” The DJ comes back to say “We’re gonna switch it up” and sent me to Steve Aoki Radio, who I don’t typically listen to, but looking at the associated DJs on the track like Chris Lake, I can see why it sent me in that direction.
Spotify shares that “If you’re not feeling the vibe, just tap the DJ button and it will switch it up. The more you listen and tell the DJ what you like (and don’t like!), the better its recommendations get. Think of it as the very best of Spotify’s personalization—but as an AI DJ in your pocket.”
I find it interesting in the sense of wanting to see what the AI DJ picks for me next. Given that it’s using my personal profile to see what it can spin for me, it feels more “personal” than just the random algorithm that would pop a random song at the end of an album.
Spotify explains where the DJ came from as well. “To create the voice model for the DJ, we partnered with our own Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan. Previously, X served as one of the hosts on Spotify’s first (and personalized) morning show, The Get Up. His personality and voice resonated with our listeners and resulted in a loyal following for the podcast. His voice is the first model for the DJ, and we’ll continue to iterate and innovate, as we do with all our products.”
Want to test it out yourself? Here are the instructions on how to find it on your device.
- Head to your Music Feed on Home in the Spotify mobile app on your iOS or Android device.
- Tap Play on the DJ card.
- Let Spotify do the rest! The DJ will serve a lineup of music alongside short commentary on the songs and artists, picked just for you.
- Not feeling the vibe? Just hit the DJ button at the bottom right of the screen to be taken to a different genre, artist, or mood.