Newsweek Exclusive Feature
Kristen DiMercurio, who has been dubbed the "Bluetooth Lady," says her voice can be heard on devices worldwide.
Actress Kristen DiMercurio has become an internet sensation, thanks to her distinctive voice, which has been mistaken for household digital assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
DiMercurio, who is based in Los Angeles, California, took to TikTok under @kdimerc on October 7 to clarify her role as a voice actress for various Bluetooth devices, but not the well-known AI home helpers that people thought. Her lighthearted take on the misunderstanding has resonated with viewers online, sparking widespread amusement and curiosity about the little-known world of voice acting.
"Hello, it's me, the voice actress behind some of your Bluetooth devices," DiMercurio told her followers.
Viewers on TikTok were able to see screenshots of messages from confused users, while the actress went on to debunk their many assumptions.
"A ton of you think that I'm Siri. I'm very flattered, but Siri was recorded in, like, 2005," DiMercurio said. "A lot of you think that I am the voice of Google—nope, the original voice of Google was Laurie Burke.
"And the last person you think I am is Alexa. I am not Alexa; the voice of Alexa was a woman named Nina Roll."
"I started taking voice acting seriously between 2015 and 2020, voicing prompts for IoT companies," DiMercurio, who is the recipient of an Audie award, told Newsweek. "My voice can now be heard in devices worldwide."
With over 2.8 million likes, her TikTok post has only ignited more questions from viewers online who are keen to find out exactly which common devices she has voiced.
One viewer commented: "So if you are not Siri, not Alexa and you don't work for Google, where can we hear your voice?"
"Always thought they were AI-generated voices," another added.
A third viewer said: "So you screamed in my ears 'BATTERY LOW! PLEASE CHARGE!' when I tried to sleep?"
DiMercurio said she hopes that her humorous take on the topic, and the surge of interest from viewers online, can shine a light on how underappreciated many of her predecessors have been in the voice-acting space.
"The voices behind your devices, we are everywhere, we are just living our lives," she told viewers. "We are just regular people who talk into microphones; we are not living in Alexa-sponsored mansions."
DiMercurio's path to becoming the "Bluetooth Lady," as she has been dubbed by some TikTok users, began quite serendipitously. After pursuing musical theater in New York City after college, she stumbled into voice acting, landing her breakout role in the indie-fiction podcast Ars Paradoxica.
Voice-overs quickly became her primary focus, leading to a career that has spanned over 8,000 voice-over spots in various sectors, including phone systems and commercials.
To demystify her work, DiMercurio wants her growing visibility on TikTok to educate users about the voice-acting industry and acknowledge the many talented actors behind iconic digital sounds.
TikTok users have since been requesting DiMercurio to record various phrases in her "Bluetooth voice," a task that she says is both enjoyable and fulfilling.
As fun as she is finding her newfound TikTok fame, voice acting remains DiMercurio's focus. Her move from New York to California has also seen her expand into on-camera work. While she is as of now known to many as the "Bluetooth lady," the actress is keen to get back on stage soon.
THANK YOU FOR READING
READ THE FULL STORY HERE: https://www.newsweek.com/woman-voice-keeps-mistaken-household-devices-1999138
Comments