Among the new options is Tess, an American voice Spotify describes as confident and direct, while Sam, an Australian personality, takes a more playful and lighthearted approach. The English lineup includes three American voices and one each representing the other four accents.
Spotify is also introducing a setting that removes most of the DJ's spoken interruptions. When commentary is disabled, music continues without the usual explanations or remarks between tracks, although the AI still provides short acknowledgments when a session begins or a listener requests a change.
The company says the quieter experience is intended for situations where users want personalized music without frequent narration, such as gatherings or background listening.
The changes build on Spotify's AI DJ, which debuted in 2023 as a personalized listening feature combining algorithmically selected music with AI-generated voice commentary. Rather than simply playing a playlist, DJ presents songs in a radio-style format, offering context and recommendations based on individual listening preferences.
Since its introduction, Spotify has expanded the feature to support additional languages and respond to listener requests. Users can also adjust the music by pressing the DJ button to change the genre, artist, mood, or recommendations.
The latest update shifts some of that customization toward the presentation itself. Previously, the AI announcer was a defining part of the experience, but listeners can now select different personalities or substantially reduce the amount of commentary they hear.
Spotify says DJ has maintained strong engagement among its audience, with 80% of listeners returning to the feature each week. The company has continued developing it as part of its broader emphasis on personalized music recommendations.
The addition of Spanish-speaking personalities also extends the available voice choices beyond English, while the different regional accents offer more variety within the existing language options.
To access the updated settings, Premium subscribers can search for DJ in the Spotify mobile app and open the three-dot menu to select their preferred voice and commentary options. Once playback begins, the DJ button remains available for changing the music selection.
Both the expanded voice lineup and the commentary toggle are being introduced across Spotify's existing DJ markets. The update gives subscribers a choice between the feature's traditional narrated format and a more continuous listening experience, while retaining the personalized music recommendations that underpin AI DJ.
This analysis is based on reporting from Spotify & CNET.
Image courtesy of Spotify.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
