Fool’s Gold is the debut album from Vermillion + Co. created with modern studio technology under the exclusive creative direction of Jules Flesner
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jules Flesner was born a farmer’s daughter in Illinois, spent time in East Nashville and Indianapolis’ Mass Ave district, and followed her own version of the Oregon Trail west in 2009 before eventually landing in Southern California in 2021.
With a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and a background as a licensed esthetician, Jules built an unconventional path into the world of SaaS (Software as a Service) technology. Today she helps companies, from messy startups to global brands, take complicated behind-the-scenes tech and turn it into customer experiences that drive sales and referrals.
She collaborated with some of the world’s most recognized brands, including the Swoosh and the Three Stripes, before bringing that same innovative mindset to commercial real estate where she helped pioneer early technology around crowdfunded investing and AI-powered chat tools.
In recent years, Jules became one of the first creative directors in the United States to specialize in AI search optimization. She has been invited to speak and contribute media commentary on topics ranging from information design to fintech and proptech SaaS. Her work has been published in college curriculum textbooks and has earned national recognition, including being named a tech “visionary” by the Los Angeles Times and honored by GlobeSt. Women of Influence.
When she isn’t working on projects, Jules is likely hanging upside down in a pole fitness class or exploring unusual landscapes like 80,000-year-old lava tubes and 30-million-year-old fossil beds.
She currently lives in Orange County, California.
“I want to help creators use SaaS tools responsibly, and bring awareness to the systemic bias present in how AI models are trained.”
-Jules Flesner
Human Stories + Modern Studio
Fool’s Gold is a folk-driven debut album from Vermillion + Co., a collection of songs shaped by decades of lived experience and personal storytelling.
Created using a mix of traditional songwriting and modern studio tools, Fool’s Gold sets a standard for artist transparency in the AI era of music.
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No. Fool’s Gold is not entirely AI-generated.
Modern licensed digital and AI-assisted composition tools were used during the production process, but all creative direction comes from [a human] Jules Flesner. The songwriting, themes, and overall artistic vision were developed exclusively under my direction.
As of early 2026, fully autonomous (AI-generated) music output is rare, if not impossible. Current tools still rely on human input like prompts, lyrics, or creative direction.
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You’re listening to human-written songs. The lyrics, stories, emotions, and occasional life advice tucked into each track all come directly from lived experience and human imagination.
The vocals are processed, so they don’t sound exactly like my natural voice, but everything is built from my own recordings, lyrics, ideas, melodies, and creative direction.
Ironically, no other humans were involved in the recording process, which is part of the joke behind the album title.
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No. In 2025, I paused my career in financial technology software and decided to revisit the collection of song ideas that had been living in my head (and various MacBooks) for decades. Recording an entire album the traditional way was out of reach for me financially, so instead I turned to modern composition software I already had on my computer to shape the songs that became Fool’s Gold.
I brought each track to life drawing on years of music theory training through piano, along with guitar and vocal lessons, inherent songwriting instincts, and a professional background in creative writing.
While live music performances aren’t my goal, I do hope to make a positive impact in the responsible commercial use of AI and automated software, and to use my (raw!) voice to advocate for diversity in STEM careers.
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No. It’s currently available exclusively on Bandcamp.
I’m pioneering a gray zone in music using modern AI studio tools, and navigating conflicting distributor and platform policies designed to protect artists (but in the fine print, I’m finding they ironically don’t always support human creators).
For now, you can access it on my Bandcamp artist website via desktop or mobile or on the Bandcamp mobile app.
You can preview and purchase individual songs, or buy/download the full album. Enter a custom amount at checkout to show a little extra support (your “virtual tip jar”).
stream or download
The debut album from Vermillion + Co. is available on Bandcamp.
You can use Bandcamp in two simple ways: through a web browser on your computer or by downloading the free Bandcamp app on your phone or tablet (iOS or Android).
