ABOUT THIS PROJECT
Transparency about what this is and how it was made.
WHAT IS THIS?
Diesel Johnny Raines is not a real person.
He is an art project — a fictional artist created through collaboration between human creativity and AI tools. I wanted to explore whether it's possible to create genuine emotional resonance through a fictional story.
The music is real. The emotions are real. The person is not.
WHY?
I've always been fascinated by storytelling. How music can carry a narrative. How a character can feel real even when we know they're fictional.
With AI tools, I wanted to see if I could create an entire world — an artist with a history, a family, loss, and rebuilding. Three albums that tell one continuous story.
Diesel isn't real. But the feelings in his music are.
HOW WAS THIS CREATED?
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Story & Lyrics
Developed with Claude Code and the BMAD Method. Characters, family history, album arc — built like a screenplay for a fictional trilogy. -
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Music
Created with Suno AI. Lyrics written based on the character's emotional journey. Each album has its own sonic identity. -
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Images
Generated with Sora. Designed to feel like real family photos and candid shots, not polished press photos. -
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Production & Distribution
Audio processed with ffmpeg. Distributed via DistroKid. Website built with Jekyll and hosted on Vercel.
"Art has always been about creating emotions through fiction. Shakespeare's Hamlet was invented. Springsteen's characters are often fictional. Diesel Johnny Raines is my version of that — with AI as collaborator."
MY REFLECTION
This project taught me a lot about storytelling, about AI as a creative tool, and about the line between "real" and "created."
Is Diesel's grief real? No, he doesn't exist.
Can you still feel it? I hope so.
Art has always been about creating emotions through fiction. The question isn't whether Diesel is real — it's whether his story moves you.
TOOLS USED
Claude Code • BMAD Method • Suno AI • Sora • ffmpeg • DistroKid • Jekyll • Vercel
"Diesel is not real. But maybe that's the point — what moves us doesn't need to be true to be authentic."