Spotify DJ’s New Voices, and How to Turn the Talking Off

Spotify’s DJ has always had one voice in English: X, a laid-back host who pops up between songs to tell you why the next track is coming. Some people love that. Others just want the music, and hit skip every time he starts talking.

On November 10, 2026, Spotify gave both groups something. DJ now has nine new voices to choose from, and there is a setting that stops the talking between songs. Both changes live in the same menu.

Here is what DJ actually is, how it picks your music, how to swap the voice, how to make it go quiet, and how to nudge it toward songs you will actually like.

Prefer to watch? Here’s the short version:

What Spotify’s DJ is

DJ is a feature inside the Spotify app that plays a running mix of music for you, with short spoken bits between songs. Think of a radio host who only ever plays to an audience of one. Spotify describes it on its DJ support page as “your personal music companion” that plays favorites you already love and introduces new genres, playlists and artists based on your taste.

It first arrived in beta on February 22, 2023, for Premium users in the U.S. and Canada. In its launch announcement, Spotify said the original voice was modelled on Xavier “X” Jernigan, its Head of Cultural Partnerships, who used to co-host a Spotify morning show called The Get Up. In July 2024 Spotify added a Spanish-language DJ called Livi, based on the voice of Olivia “Livi” Quiroz Roa, a senior music editor in Mexico City, according to its Spanish DJ announcement.

The spoken parts are the point for some listeners. The DJ might mention that a song is a new release from an artist you play a lot, or bring back something you had on repeat years ago. Spotify has said that people who hear this kind of context are more willing to give an unfamiliar song a chance instead of skipping it.

The nine new voices

In its November 10, 2026 announcement, Spotify said Premium listeners can now pick from an expanded lineup that joins DJ X. There are seven new English voices, covering British, American, Irish, Australian and Indian accents, plus two new Spanish voices.

Spotify gave each one a name and a one-line personality:

• Casey (US): laid-back and warm, with a bit of a drawl.
• Tess (US): direct but inviting, with a bit of an edge.
• Lane (US): a Southern accent and younger, upbeat energy.
• Sam (Australia): gregarious and fun, keeps things light.
• Nell (UK): mellow, slower and deeply knowledgeable.
• Declan (Ireland): straightforward, passionate and a bit of a music nerd.
• Nisha (India): inviting, with contagious energy.
• Nico (Mexico): down to earth and present.
• Fabi (Mexico): witty and friendly.

Nico and Fabi are the two Spanish voices. The rest speak English.

Who gets it and where

DJ is a Premium feature. The support page labels it “For: Premium”, and Spotify’s announcement says the new voices and the commentary controls “begin rolling out November 10 to Premium users in existing DJ markets.” It is not part of the free plan.

“Existing DJ markets” covers a lot of the world, but not everywhere. By August 2023, DJ was in about 50 markets, including the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, added Spain and much of Latin America with the Spanish version in 2024, and on March 18, 2026 added Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Poland.

Two things to keep in mind:

• Rollouts are gradual. Spotify said the features “begin rolling out” on November 10, which usually means they reach accounts in waves. If you do not see the new voices yet, it may simply not have reached your account.
• It is a phone feature first. Spotify’s own setup steps start with “Open Spotify on your mobile device.” Make sure the app is up to date. Our explainer on keeping your browser patched covers why updating apps promptly is a good habit anyway.

How to change the DJ voice

Spotify’s support page gives these steps under “Changing the DJ language and voice”:

1. Tap the DJ icon to open DJ. You can find it on Home, or search for “DJ” in Search.
2. Tap the three-dot menu: three horizontal dots on iPhone, three vertical dots on Android.
3. Tap Pick your DJ.
4. Select a language and voice.

The support page also notes that DJ is available in a limited number of languages, so for now your choice is English or Spanish.

How to turn off the commentary

This is the setting a lot of people have wanted. Spotify’s announcement pitches it for moments like hosting a dinner party, when you want music in the background without a voice competing with the conversation.

The support page lists these steps under “Turning commentary off”:

1. Tap the DJ icon to open DJ.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (horizontal dots on iPhone, vertical dots on Android).
3. Tap DJ Commentary.
4. Select your preferred option and tap Restart DJ to apply the change.

Note that last step. The change does not take effect mid-session until you restart DJ, so if the host keeps talking after you flip the setting, that is probably why.

Spotify’s support page does not spell out every option inside the DJ Commentary menu, so we can’t list them for you. What it does confirm is that with commentary off, DJ plays music without talking between tracks.

What “off” really means

Commentary off still leaves a little talk. Spotify’s announcement says you will “still hear brief acknowledgements when you start DJ or press the DJ button to switch up the vibe.” So expect a short line when you first press play and when you ask for a change, and music the rest of the time.

You also keep the ability to make requests. The support page says that with commentary off, “You can still type or talk to make requests.”

How DJ picks your music

Spotify presents DJ as an extension of the personalization behind Discover Weekly and Wrapped. In its behind-the-scenes post from March 2023, Spotify described three ingredients:

• Spotify’s personalization technology, which builds a lineup from what you already play and how you play it.
• Generative AI used by Spotify’s music editors, who work in what Spotify called a “Writers’ Room” with culture experts, data curators and scriptwriters to produce the commentary.
• A synthetic voice platform from Spotify’s acquisition of Sonantic, which turns that written commentary into speech.

In plain terms, the music choices come from your listening history, and the talking comes from editors plus software. The launch post also said DJ “constantly refreshes the lineup based on your feedback,” and that the more you listen and tell it what you like and don’t like, the better its recommendations get.

Requests by voice or text

You can now steer DJ by asking for things. Spotify’s DJ support page lists several ways to interact:

• Type a request in the text box.
• Tap the microphone to talk.
• Pick from your personalized suggestions.
• Tap the DJ button again to change the mood.

The examples Spotify gives are conversational, such as “Play upbeat music that matches my summer energy”, “Make it more upbeat” or “Make me a rainy Sunday morning playlist.” You can also ask questions about what is playing, like “Who are this artist’s influences?”

This ties into a broader feature Spotify calls Talk to Spotify, which its help page lists as a beta for Premium listeners aged 18 and older. Spotify notes the experience may change over time, so the prompts that work could shift.

Tips to steer DJ’s picks

DJ learns from you, which means you can train it. These are the habits that make the biggest difference.

1. Use the DJ button when the vibe is off. Tapping it moves DJ to a different genre, artist, mood or set of recommendations. Do this instead of skipping five songs in a row.
2. Be specific in requests. “Play songs I listened to in 2024 but not 2025” gives DJ far more to work with than “play something good.”
3. Keep sleep and background audio out of your taste. If you play rain sounds or a kids’ playlist every night, they can skew your recommendations. Spotify’s page names Discover Weekly, Home and Wrapped rather than DJ, but the idea is the same. Spotify’s support page on excluding playlists or tracks from your taste profile shows how: open the playlist or track, tap the three-dot menu, then choose the exclude option. Spotify says it takes effect within 48 hours.
4. Give it feedback and time. Spotify says the more you listen and tell DJ what you like (and don’t), the better its picks get.
5. Match the voice to the setting. A mellow voice for late-night listening, a lively one for the gym. With commentary off, the voice matters less, but you will still hear it briefly when you start DJ or switch the vibe.

Spotify’s taste profile shows how much one app learns about you over time. Our guide to finding every account that uses your username is a useful next step if you want to tidy up your wider online footprint.

The bottom line

If DJ’s chatter was the reason you stopped using it, it is worth another try. Open DJ, tap the three-dot menu, choose DJ Commentary, pick your option and restart DJ. You will get a short greeting and then mostly music.

If you liked the talking but not the voice, go to Pick your DJ in the same menu and audition a few of the new ones. Either way, the songs still come from your own listening, and the more you steer DJ with the button, requests and saves, the better its picks should get.

And if one of DJ’s picks is still looping in your head an hour later, here is why songs get stuck in your head, and how to shake one loose.

And if you are more of a gamer than a listener, here is how people actually make money from GTA 6, and the scams to avoid.