A virtual Greek-Australian pop star created with artificial intelligence has finally put long-struggling Melbourne filmmaker and author Jayson Sutcliffe on the map, according to a report in the Herald Sun and picked up by GCT.
Sutcliffe, a former world-champion roller skater who has written books and directed two feature films about the sport, spent more than two decades pitching scripts and projects in Australia and Los Angeles—only to see every promising deal collapse at the last moment.
As a final throw of the dice, he built “Dimitrii,” an AI-powered singer with a fully fleshed-out Greek-Australian identity, heartfelt lyrics written by Sutcliffe himself, and a computer-generated voice. The character’s debut single “Gravity,” released this month, has already racked up thousands of streams on Spotify and attracted fans from across the globe.
“They’re all my lyrics, but the voice is AI,” Sutcliffe explained. “Creating a believable artist is a lot more than just pressing a button.”
He describes Dimitrii as an amalgam of real people from his past and imagined figures from his future. Since the launch, Sutcliffe has been flooded with messages from listeners of all ages who have embraced the virtual performer.
For the creator, the sudden success is equal parts exhilarating and bittersweet. “It’s been a frustrating few decades,” he told the Herald Sun. “Time and time again you get built up to something big, and then suddenly it’s nothing.”
Despite the long wait, Sutcliffe now hopes Dimitrii’s rapid rise will finally open doors that remained firmly shut for over twenty years.
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