ARTIST SPOTLIGHT – JAZMINE JOHNSON
Jazmine is that girl with the incomparable vocals and the larger than life Scouse personality. The rising star is fast becoming one of the most talked about emerging artists in the UK, fuelled by her outstanding vocals on “Hell In High Heels” by Belgian Artist and international superstar Netsky which amassed over 6 Million streams world wide.
We had a little chat with Jazmine about her past, present and future.
Tell us how you got into making music?
My family were always very musical, my dad taught me to play guitar so I began enjoying singing along to songs when practicing and I was always into poetry from a young age. These things just came hand in hand for me so I began writing songs and performing them from a young age at places like the cavern which just made me fall in love with the whole process of creating and delivering my work to audiences.
How would you describe your sound and what are you bringing to the table musically?
I would say my sound is quite different because my voice is power house and with a unique tone which gives the sound a pop feel but the songs I write about all have a very significant meaning about moments of my life which gives it an element of soul. I love to fuse organic sounding instrumentation with a modern element of production to create a feel of nostalgia and originality but still keeping it current. I would say I’m bringing honest and raw stories of different aspects of life that everybody can relate to. Music is about expression and I want my music to help and guide people through situations we all go through as humans at some point.
You are Liverpool through and through, how has the city influenced your music?
I am indeed! This city has influenced my music so much. With the obvious one being The Beatles, I’ve always admired the simplicity of their lyrics, it’s not as easy as it looks to write lyrics that are simple but yet still so powerful and emotive. Being from a city were being different and doing your own thing Is always encouraged, I’ve always felt supported as an Artist, right from the very beginning. The city has so much to offer for up and coming artists, I had the pleasure of being apart of LIMF Academy a few years back which gave me so many opportunities to connect with industry professionals, other artists and received funding to support my projects. This allowed me to go to the next level as an artist and I feel so lucky to have such amazing devoted help in the city. I am so proud to be from Liverpool.
What other female artists from Liverpool do you look up to and why?
There is so much talent in Liverpool at the minute it’s really exciting. I’d have to say Faye Donna Francis is a force to be reckoned with, incredible voice, performer and always all over events doing something somewhere. I love her drive, what a woman. Lydiah Is one of Liverpool’s best kept secret at the minute but, what an artist she is. She leaves people in awe, her whole aesthetic and artistry is really on point and I can’t wait for people to hear more from her very soon. Tonia is smashing it too at the minute, and I’ve loved watching her journey. Her music is so refreshing and she’s so cool. Really privileged to be around so many other amazing females in the city watching them do their thing.
If you had to pick your favourite song (by yourself) what would it be and why?
You know what, it’s hard to say. I wrote a song a few months ago but it isn’t released yet unfortunately. It’s called ‘Dark Star’ and I wrote it about addiction. It’s something that’s very close to home and I’ve always found it hard to verbalise my emotions towards it, but writing this song really allowed me to dig deep and say the things I haven’t been able to for years. It’s really different to any of my other stuff, very simple, simple vocals with no belting, just me telling an honest story. It felt good to step out my comfort zone and bring this song to life. I can’t wait for people to hear it.
You had a monster song with D&B producer Netsky… how did that come about and what did that song do for your career?
Yes, it was such an amazing time for me. I wrote the song with my friend and very talented producer Cameron Warren. Initially the song was meant to be a half time RnB song but at the time DnB was massive, so we decided to turn the production more in that direction. Luckily we did because a few weeks later Netsky had heard the track and fell in love with it. He rang me that week and we met in London, recorded it and he played it at a show that night which was crazy. It was released in November, and I can honestly say I couldn’t have released a song with a nicer guy. We celebrated the release in LA and since then I’ve been offered some deals, connected and worked with some other amazing producers with new collaborations on the way soon too which is exciting. It’s also gave me some great exposure and taught me a lot about my self as an artist. Onwards and Upwards for me!
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