diff --git a/abogen/voice_metadata.py b/abogen/voice_metadata.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ce7b52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/abogen/voice_metadata.py
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class VoiceMetadata:
+    """
+    Immutable metadata describing a voice from a TTS backend.
+
+    This model describes a voice independently of any backend implementation.
+    Backends populate these objects; the application consumes them.
+
+    The ``backend_id`` field is set by the backend itself (via
+    ``self.metadata.id``) — the application never hardcodes it.
+    This ensures renaming a backend does not require touching voice definitions.
+    """
+
+    id: str
+    """Unique voice identifier within the backend (e.g. ``"af_alloy"``, ``"M1"``)."""
+
+    display_name: str
+    """Human-readable display name (e.g. ``"Alloy"``, ``"Male 1"``)."""
+
+    language: str
+    """Language code — backend-specific format is acceptable (e.g. ``"a"``, ``"en"``)."""
+
+    gender: str
+    """Gender category: ``"female"``, ``"male"``, or ``"unknown"``."""
+
+    backend_id: str
+    """Identifier of the backend that owns this voice (e.g. ``"kokoro"``).
+
+    Set automatically by the backend — never hardcoded in voice definitions.
+    """
diff --git a/tests/test_voice_metadata.py b/tests/test_voice_metadata.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7cae05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_voice_metadata.py
@@ -0,0 +1,233 @@
+import pytest
+
+from abogen.voice_metadata import VoiceMetadata
+
+
+class TestVoiceMetadataCreation:
+    def test_create_with_all_fields(self):
+        voice = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        assert voice.id == "af_alloy"
+        assert voice.display_name == "Alloy"
+        assert voice.language == "a"
+        assert voice.gender == "female"
+        assert voice.backend_id == "kokoro"
+
+    def test_create_supertonic_voice(self):
+        voice = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="M1",
+            display_name="Male 1",
+            language="en",
+            gender="male",
+            backend_id="supertonic",
+        )
+        assert voice.id == "M1"
+        assert voice.backend_id == "supertonic"
+
+    def test_create_with_unknown_gender(self):
+        voice = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="custom_voice",
+            display_name="Custom",
+            language="en",
+            gender="unknown",
+            backend_id="custom_backend",
+        )
+        assert voice.gender == "unknown"
+
+
+class TestVoiceMetadataImmutability:
+    def test_frozen_dataclass(self):
+        voice = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
+            voice.id = "new_id"
+
+    def test_cannot_modify_display_name(self):
+        voice = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
+            voice.display_name = "New Name"
+
+    def test_cannot_modify_backend_id(self):
+        voice = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
+            voice.backend_id = "new_backend"
+
+
+class TestVoiceMetadataEquality:
+    def test_equal_voices_are_equal(self):
+        voice1 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        voice2 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        assert voice1 == voice2
+
+    def test_different_voices_are_not_equal(self):
+        voice1 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        voice2 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="am_adam",
+            display_name="Adam",
+            language="a",
+            gender="male",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        assert voice1 != voice2
+
+    def test_different_backend_id_not_equal(self):
+        voice1 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="custom",
+            display_name="Custom",
+            language="en",
+            gender="unknown",
+            backend_id="backend_a",
+        )
+        voice2 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="custom",
+            display_name="Custom",
+            language="en",
+            gender="unknown",
+            backend_id="backend_b",
+        )
+        assert voice1 != voice2
+
+
+class TestVoiceMetadataHashing:
+    def test_hashable(self):
+        voice = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        assert hash(voice) is not None
+
+    def test_equal_voices_same_hash(self):
+        voice1 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        voice2 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        assert hash(voice1) == hash(voice2)
+
+    def test_usable_in_set(self):
+        voice1 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        voice2 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="af_alloy",
+            display_name="Alloy",
+            language="a",
+            gender="female",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        voice3 = VoiceMetadata(
+            id="am_adam",
+            display_name="Adam",
+            language="a",
+            gender="male",
+            backend_id="kokoro",
+        )
+        voice_set = {voice1, voice2, voice3}
+        assert len(voice_set) == 2
+
+
+class TestVoiceMetadataUseCases:
+    def test_backend_populates_backend_id(self):
+        """Simulate how a backend would populate backend_id automatically."""
+
+        class MockBackend:
+            def __init__(self):
+                self._backend_id = "kokoro"
+
+            def get_voices(self):
+                return [
+                    VoiceMetadata(
+                        id="af_alloy",
+                        display_name="Alloy",
+                        language="a",
+                        gender="female",
+                        backend_id=self._backend_id,
+                    ),
+                ]
+
+        backend = MockBackend()
+        voices = backend.get_voices()
+        assert voices[0].backend_id == "kokoro"
+
+    def test_filter_by_language(self):
+        voices = [
+            VoiceMetadata(id="af_alloy", display_name="Alloy", language="a", gender="female", backend_id="kokoro"),
+            VoiceMetadata(id="jf_alpha", display_name="Alpha", language="j", gender="female", backend_id="kokoro"),
+            VoiceMetadata(id="am_adam", display_name="Adam", language="a", gender="male", backend_id="kokoro"),
+        ]
+        english_voices = [v for v in voices if v.language == "a"]
+        assert len(english_voices) == 2
+
+    def test_filter_by_gender(self):
+        voices = [
+            VoiceMetadata(id="af_alloy", display_name="Alloy", language="a", gender="female", backend_id="kokoro"),
+            VoiceMetadata(id="am_adam", display_name="Adam", language="a", gender="male", backend_id="kokoro"),
+            VoiceMetadata(id="am_puck", display_name="Puck", language="a", gender="male", backend_id="kokoro"),
+        ]
+        male_voices = [v for v in voices if v.gender == "male"]
+        assert len(male_voices) == 2
+
+    def test_filter_by_backend(self):
+        voices = [
+            VoiceMetadata(id="af_alloy", display_name="Alloy", language="a", gender="female", backend_id="kokoro"),
+            VoiceMetadata(id="M1", display_name="Male 1", language="en", gender="male", backend_id="supertonic"),
+        ]
+        kokoro_voices = [v for v in voices if v.backend_id == "kokoro"]
+        assert len(kokoro_voices) == 1
+        assert kokoro_voices[0].id == "af_alloy"