Jaz cover issue low res - Flipbook - Page 16
Jazmin Bean
and ignoring the generally accepted limits
of cosplay and make-up. Self produced, and
I assume financed, they have the feel and
production values of music videos which
probably had extremely high budgets but
still failed to deliver the visceral punch of a
JB video.
As I mentioned to Jazmin; there seems
to me to be a lot going on here. There’s
a solid body of music, but there’s also
extremely stimulating imagery, makeup,
videos, clothes, obviously well thought
through and meticulously executed. I find it
calming the weight meshes together like a
perfect Japanese Bento box. I asked Jazmin
if the songs are constructed with the visuals
running parallel in their interior world:
I have been trying not to recently when
I’m making songs because before I was
independent and so even if it was a low
budget, I could kind of make the video even
if it was a little bit fucked like I could still
make the video that was in my head, but
now if I get so worked up about an idea and
I’m like this would be the best video on the
planet. Like, oh my God I’m so excited and
I’m fantasising and thinking about it when
I go to bed and then I pitch it to the label
and they’re like ‘No! This is absolutely not a
single so we will not be doing a video for it.’
Uhm, I get extremely cross and stubborn!
When looking at your videos, I was
thinking to myself if you wanted to make sure
you didn’t get a record deal, this is all the
things you’d put in, but to me they’re perfect:
Well, I thought my label’s (Interscope)
initial message to get in contact with me
was a scam and so I didn’t reply to it. I just
didn’t acknowledge it, ‘cause I was like,
oh, it’s just some like scam e-mail trying
to get my information and then they
messaged my mum and my manager and
friends trying to get in contact with me
and I was actually on the set for a video
‘cause I was doing them all independently
where like everyone was doing everything.
You know, like my mum was in one of the
Hello Kitty costumes, my manager was in the other one and the person
who helped me paint the satin was in the other one, you know. And it
kind of just felt so funny that it happened at that time. Just being like
this, is the most independent and struggle free bull shit we’ve ever done.
Trying to achieve so much and like this happens, but I really didn’t think
I was just thinking when I got there, ‘cause I was dressing so extreme at the
time and was doing such extreme posting and I was just at their office dressed
in something ridiculous and being extremely extroverted towards the higher up
people that I’ve never met before and I was just thinking why the fuck do they
want to sign me? Like I’m the label’s worst nightmare!
So do you script your videos now or do you have a set of collaborators?
All of my videos up until ‘Puppy Pound’ were all completely directed
by me, ‘Puppy Pound’ and ‘Carnage’ are co-directed because we’re using
a green screen and honestly, my knowledge with green screen isn’t great. I
really appreciate everyone’s work, but I just realised that co-directing is not
for me. I have to be fully directing but you have to learn some way.
If you co-direct, somebody else is kind of trying to interpret your vision
and they’re not seeing it the same way as you are.
Yeah, and I’m just extremely, extremely specific of the feelings I want
and what I want to give in there. It’s just such a specific and personal
journey. Making a video, I don’t think that I could have anyone else
directing ever again unless it was someone that I look up to on the highest
form. The thing is that most of my influences are from film. When it
comes to my videos, you know I want that theatricality and feeling that
you get in films.
The live videos on Youtube are mostly
those camera phone ones taken at gigs by
fans - annoying at the time but priceless
later - and they capture the atmosphere and
interaction well.
I mentioned to Jazmin that I’d seen the live
performance at the Courtyard theatre:
I loved that show except their capacity
was just not OK for the amount of people
that desired to come to the point where like
even people that were allowed in. You know
my fan base can be younger, especially the
ones at the front. They’re normally all pretty
young that are waiting there. You just want
to be like attending to the people that are
literally like passing out from the heat. It’s
hard to like carry on.
I made the following observation to Jazmin
- is it the music and the stories for the kids
who weren’t popular at school? Is this a fair
assessment?
I would say that. It can be for whoever
it wants to be, but I do find a lot of people
who have had that same storyline in their
life coming to the shows.
Great artists of all types evolve because
they have to, it defines them, it’s their place in
the world. Jazmin Bean mixes musical genres.
Most bands and solo artists find a niche or a
sound and they stay with it. The great ones,
people like David Bowie, evolve and grasp
the changing cultural zeitgeist, and it keeps
them relevant. For their fans it becomes an
adventure, a journey you share with the artist,
a shared experience across decades. Jazmin’s
take on progression:
… this newer stuff, it’s a little bit more
accessible, but it still keeps like diving deep
into emotions. And I’m saying a lot of stuff
in this new album that I never thought
I’d be able to get out of my mouth. And so
I think I’m kind of trading in extremities
whilst may not be that extreme, you know
metal-like guitar, there’s a lot of guitar in
the album, but it doesn’t have this extreme
sinister vibe about it in the music. I think
that I thought, OK, well, I’m always going
to keep to my truth, it’s dramatic and it’s vulnerable and it’s impacted with
feelings. Whether that’s through the music or the lyrics, but I just don’t really
feel like doing this whole, metal thing anymore, and whilst there were only
a few songs that had that vibe on the previous album, I just thought it’s just
not for me anymore, but instead I’m talking about things and kind of being
vulnerable with my voice in ways that I literally never thought I would be
able to even say to anyone, let alone to an audience.
And the future for Jazmin Bean:
I’m so excited. Because it it’s taken me so long to release at times because
I had to go to rehab and then I was signing a deal and all of these things
happened where I’ve kind of been on 100 year long hiatus. You know, I’ve
been ‘away’ for a long time and so now it’s really just the beginning. The
songs that I’ve released just now, ‘Puppy Pound’ ‘Carnage’ - these ones are
so so old, you know it was kind of just a matter of getting them out so this
release didn’t even really feel like a release ‘cause it wasn’t new. I’ve had
this song under my belt for like 4 years now and the video was shot a year
ago now so it was not new. It didn’t feel exciting ‘cause it was actually like
‘Thank god, it’s out’ onto the next! I’m excited to release something that’s
actually new in my mind like a new video, new ideas, new songs…
And in relation to touring:
Hopefully soon we’re thinking about doing a Europe tour, and so I’m
hoping London will be included in that. I just want the new songs to come
out, you know, so I can play them.
Jazmin Bean – a shining beacon within a thriving London club scene,
definitely someone to give your attention to.
I started going clubbing
at an extremely young
age. There’s a lot of
issues with that...
14/Salvation