Spotify Adds Nine AI DJ Voices and a Setting to Silence the Chatter

Spotify's AI DJ now speaks with nine voices instead of one, and Premium subscribers can switch most of its between-song commentary off entirely.

The feature launched in 2023 with a single voice, known as X and modelled on Spotify's own Xavier Jernigan. Seven new English-speaking voices now sit alongside X. Three are American: Casey has a relaxed, friendly style, Tess is blunter, and Lane has a Southern accent and a younger tone. The remaining four add regional accents for English-speaking markets. Sam is a light-hearted Australian, Nell is a calm British host with deep music knowledge, Declan is a plain-spoken Irish music fan, and Nisha is an upbeat voice from India. Spanish-language listeners get two new Mexican voices: Nico, who is relaxed and approachable, and Fabi, who leans on humour.

What does the commentary setting change?

The more consequential update may be the new commentary control. For many listeners, the DJ's chatter between songs was the main reason not to use the feature at all. Now users can switch most of that talk off. The DJ still speaks briefly when a session starts or when the listener presses the DJ button to change the mood, but otherwise it simply plays music. Spotify suggests this makes the DJ better suited to background listening, such as at a dinner party, where frequent spoken interruptions would get in the way.

The setting also reveals something about how people actually use the feature. Spotify says 80 percent of people who try the DJ come back to it every week. Even so, the company is letting users remove much of what made the DJ different from an ordinary personalised playlist. That points to the music recommendations doing more of the work than the host's commentary, and to some listeners wanting the selections without the radio-style presentation. Spotify has not shared how many people asked for a quieter option, or how often listeners skipped or left DJ sessions because of the talking.

Why the regional accents matter for marketers

The new voices fit Spotify's wider push to expand the DJ. Earlier this year, the company brought the feature to more languages and markets. Adding regional accents is a practical way to make a feature that started out very American feel local, especially for English-speaking audiences in Australia, the UK, Ireland and India. For brands and creators watching voice AI as a channel, the move signals that accent and persona variety, not a single synthetic host, is becoming the default expectation for scaled voice products.

Who gets the update and how

Both the new voices and the commentary setting are rolling out now to Premium subscribers in countries where the DJ is already available. Free users will not get them. To try the features, users open Spotify on their phone, search for DJ, and use the three-dot menu to choose a voice and a commentary level.

A host you can largely mute raises a question about where the DJ goes next: it may become less of an on-air personality and more of a smart playlist that only speaks when you ask it to.