The Fifth Artist: From Darkness to Determination — Dillon Roy’s Relentless Pursuit of Purpose Through Music
For Dillon Roy — better known by his artistic moniker The Fifth Artist — art isn’t a hobby or even just a career. It’s a lifeline. It’s obsession. It’s survival. Hailing from Bowling Green, Kentucky, the 22-year-old rapper, singer, and producer is building a sonic legacy rooted in raw honesty, emotional depth, and unshakable purpose.
What is was Like Before
Before the music, there were tattoos. Before the tattoos, there were sketches. Before all of it, there was pain—and a need to escape it. Dillon’s journey into the arts began in childhood, where drawing and creativity became his earliest forms of expression. At 17, he released his first EP under the name “Dillo,” but with limited exposure and real-world pressures setting in, he pivoted to tattooing as a means to survive while continuing to feed the spark inside.
“I never wanted to do anything but make art,” says Dillon. “Becoming a tattoo artist felt like the only viable way to make money through art while I built my music behind the scenes.”
The struggles Dillon faced
But behind that hustle lies a story of deep struggle: from drug abuse and self-harm to spiritual confusion and depression. Between the ages of 13 and 17, Dillon spiraled into addiction and suicidal ideation. The turning point? A little sister — adopted into his family during the height of his darkest moments — whose presence gave him a reason to live. Her love and innocence cut through the haze, awakening in him a purpose he hadn’t yet found in himself.
“I couldn’t accept the idea of traumatizing her with my death,” he reflects. “So I decided to become someone worth looking up to.”
That decision birthed The Fifth Artist — not just a name, but a mission. An artist whose work spans ink and audio waves alike, Dillon now creates music with manic passion, rarely sleeping, pouring everything into each beat and verse. “I’m not a beatmaker,” he says. “I produce because it lets me express exactly what I hear in my head. I’m obsessed with making the best art I can.”
The consistency of his drops
Though early in his musical rise, Dillon has already released 7 singles since restarting his career in late 2024 — all self-produced, written, and engineered. His plan is simple: release a new song every one to two weeks until the world catches on. And it’s starting to.
Upcoming releases include:
- “LOVE & DRUGS” – dropping June 7
- “SLAUGHTERHOUSE” – dropping June 13
- With more singles coming bi-weekly into the summer
The Fifth Artist isn’t chasing fame for ego’s sake. He wants to be on stage, under lights, connecting with people who have their own demons. His music isn’t just entertainment — it’s therapy. It’s purpose. It’s the product of someone who beat the odds and chose creation over destruction.
“I want to speak for the people who feel everything deeply and don’t know how to let it out. I’m obsessed with art, and I believe the most valuable thing I’ll ever contribute to the world will be through music.”
