Spotify's AI DJ gets nine new voices and a way to quiet the chatter

The DJ launched in 2023. It is a personal radio station run by an AI host. The host picks the music, then talks between sets to explain what it chose and why. Think of a radio presenter who has read your listening history.

Since then, Spotify has added AI to many parts of its app. Recent updates let you chat about music with an AI helper, which means a program that can act on a request, not only answer it. You can also adjust your recommendations by typing instructions and build playlists with AI. Spotify also works with outside AI helpers such as ChatGPT and Claude.

The DJ is still one of its most popular AI features. More than 94 million Spotify Premium listeners use it.

Spotify Premium subscribers can choose from an expanded set of DJ voices in English and Spanish. There are nine new ones:

• Seven English voices: British, American, Irish, Australian and Indian accents.
• Two Spanish voices: both Mexican-accented.

Each voice has its own personality, not only its own accent. Spotify describes American Tess as "direct but inviting," with a bit of an edge, and "in-the-know." Australian Sam is "gregarious, fun" and likes to keep things "not-so-serious."

Among the three American voices, Casey is laid-back and warm, Tess is direct with an edge, and Lane has a Southern accent and youthful energy.

The two Spanish voices are Nico, who is more down-to-earth, and Fabi, who is more witty and friendly.

The new voices do not replace the DJ's first voice, called X. That voice was based on real voice recordings from a Spotify employee. It stays.

The Spanish side changes more. Fabi and Nico are now the only Spanish voices, and they replace an earlier one called Livi.

The DJ has grown in steps. Here is the short timeline:

• March 2023: Spotify launched DJ as its first AI-powered feature. It was built with technology from Sonantic, a voice-AI startup Spotify bought in 2022, and with OpenAI technology.
• The first voice: Xavier "X" Jernigan, Spotify's head of cultural partnerships, trained the model. He recorded scripts in a studio in many tones and moods. The DJ even uses his own word choices: he says "hits" or "bangers," not "tunes."
• 2025: Spotify made DJ interactive. Premium users in more than 60 markets could ask for music by voice or text.
• May 2026: four new personas arrived in French, German, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese, and DJ grew to more than 75 markets. Before that it spoke only English and Spanish.
• November 2026: nine more voices, a commentary toggle and more than 95 markets.

Sonantic is the company whose technology built the realistic voices used in film work, including Val Kilmer's voice in "Top Gun: Maverick."

The big picture: in three years the DJ went from a single voice that talks about your music to a family of voices you can steer, silence or switch.

A voice model is software that learns how a person speaks, then reads new text in that style. Jernigan described the process as feeding it his pauses, his tone and the words only he uses, so it feels authentic. That is why the first DJ voice sounds like a real radio host.

This is the other half of the update. Normally the DJ introduces each set of songs and explains what it picked. Some people love that. Others just want the music.

Now you can limit the DJ to brief acknowledgements. You hear one when you start the DJ and another when you turn it off or change modes. Between those, the music keeps going.

In real life You are hosting friends for dinner. A playlist would be fine, but you like the DJ's mix of old and new songs. Switch to less commentary, and the DJ plays in the background without stopping to chat in the middle of someone's story.

Spotify says this lets people use the DJ in moments when they might have picked a playlist instead, like a party where they want music in the background and not the talk.

Why it matters: the DJ without commentary is closer to a smart playlist. That widens when you might use it.

The steps are short:

• Open the app: search for "DJ" in the Spotify search bar on your phone.
• Open the menu: tap the three-dot menu to pick your voice and your commentary level.
• Press play: tap the DJ button at any time to change genres, artists, mood or recommendations.

The new voices begin rolling out on November 10 to Premium users in the markets where the DJ is already supported. That is more than 95 markets. There, the DJ speaks English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese.

The DJ sits behind a paid plan: Spotify subscriptions start at $13 a month.

Spotify is taking a cue from other AI assistants. Chatbots and voice assistants routinely let you choose a voice and a personality.

The DJ is also an early example of what Spotify does with AI. It was one of the first major AI features in the app, and the company is now returning to it. The update gives users more control, which is a common request for any tool that talks.

For you, the practical effect is simple: the same recommendations, delivered by a voice you chose, at the volume of chat you want.

The DJ is one piece of a larger plan. Over the past year Spotify has partnered with both Claude and ChatGPT so that people can find music through those assistants. In the same period, ChatGPT gained the ability to identify songs through a Shazam integration.

So music is turning into something you can talk to, from several directions at once. The Spotify DJ is the version that lives inside Spotify's own app.

What stays the same is the job: pick songs you will like. What changes is the host, the personality and how often it speaks.

• More choice: you can pick a voice and a personality that fits your mood or your accent preference.
• More quiet: if the talking bothers you, the DJ now works as background music.
• Premium only: the DJ and these voices need a Premium subscription.
• Check your market: the rollout covers the 95-plus markets where DJ already works.