diff --git a/js/ui/mpris.js b/js/ui/mpris.js
index c46f9f01c..240e99e5f 100644
--- a/js/ui/mpris.js
+++ b/js/ui/mpris.js
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ var MprisPlayer = class MprisPlayer {
         this._trackArtists = [];
         this._trackTitle = '';
         this._trackCoverUrl = '';
+        this._busName = busName;
     }
 
     get status() {
@@ -177,9 +178,36 @@ var MprisPlayer = class MprisPlayer {
         for (let prop in this._playerProxy.Metadata)
             metadata[prop] = this._playerProxy.Metadata[prop].deep_unpack();
 
-        this._trackArtists = metadata['xesam:artist'] || [_("Unknown artist")];
-        this._trackTitle = metadata['xesam:title'] || _("Unknown title");
-        this._trackCoverUrl = metadata['mpris:artUrl'] || '';
+        // Validate according to the spec; some clients send buggy metadata:
+        // https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Specifications/mpris-spec/metadata
+        this._trackArtists = metadata['xesam:artist'];
+        if (!Array.isArray(this._trackArtists) ||
+            !this._trackArtists.every(artist => typeof artist === 'string')) {
+            if (typeof this._trackArtists !== 'undefined')
+                log(`Received faulty track artist metadata from ${
+                    this._busName}; expected an array of strings, got ${
+                    this._trackArtists} (${typeof this._trackArtists})`);
+            this._trackArtists =  [_("Unknown artist")];
+        }
+
+        this._trackTitle = metadata['xesam:title'];
+        if (typeof this._trackTitle !== 'string') {
+            if (typeof this._trackTitle !== 'undefined')
+                log(`Received faulty track title metadata from ${
+                    this._busName}; expected a string, got ${
+                    this._trackTitle} (${typeof this._trackTitle})`);
+            this._trackTitle = _("Unknown title");
+        }
+
+        this._trackCoverUrl = metadata['mpris:artUrl'];
+        if (typeof this._trackCoverUrl !== 'string') {
+            if (typeof this._trackCoverUrl !== 'undefined')
+                log(`Received faulty track cover art metadata from ${
+                    this._busName}; expected a string, got ${
+                    this._trackCoverUrl} (${typeof this._trackCoverUrl})`);
+            this._trackCoverUrl = '';
+        }
+
         this.emit('changed');
 
         let visible = this._playerProxy.CanPlay;