A Melbourne creator who spent decades facing rejection in the entertainment industry has unexpectedly broken through – thanks to an AI persona, according to heraldsun.com.au. Author and filmmaker Jayson Sutcliffe developed an AI singer named Dimitrii after more than 20 years of having his scripts and concepts turned away by film and television executives.
Dimitrii’s first single, Gravity, released this month, has already drawn thousands of plays on Spotify and captured global attention. For Sutcliffe, the project was a final effort to make his voice heard. “It’s been a frustrating few decades,” he told the Herald Sun. Despite travelling to Los Angeles yearly for meetings and pitches, he said deals repeatedly fell apart: “Time and time again you get built up to something, and then all of a sudden it’s nothing.”
A former world champion roller skater and published author, Sutcliffe has directed two films centred on the sport. Dimitrii emerged after he wrote a song for a trailer he planned to pitch in LA. “They’re all my lyrics, but the voice is AI,” he explained, noting that crafting a consistent character takes far more than pushing a button.
He describes Dimitrii as Greek-Australian and inspired by people from his past — and imagined future encounters. The response has been overwhelming: he’s received an unexpected flood of messages from admirers of all ages.
While grateful for the attention, Sutcliffe says the success is bittersweet. “It makes me sad because I’ve tried and tried and tried to get somewhere in this industry,” he said. Still, he hopes Dimitrii’s rise may finally open doors.
Dimitrii’s debut comes amid a wave of AI-generated music gaining traction, including recent Billboard-charting virtual artists.
Source: Heraldsun.com.au
