Currently on tour making their U.S. debut, Jazmin Bean is also gearing up to release their debut album ‘Traumatic Livelihood”. Jazmin Bean made a big splash during the pandemic having released their critically acclaimed debut EP, ‘Worldwide Torture’ at 16 years old, which has garnered over half a billion streams.
Along with the music, videos and social media, the London-based multidisciplinary, non-binary artist also became known for their appearance having bold makeup and varying hair and eye colors that some perceived as intense yet cute or scene-core. The London-born artist was the born to two performing artists in their own right – Angie Adams, the former drummer of the band Fluffy and father Ginger Wildheart, founder and frtonman of The Wildhearts. Growing up in a musical family and continuing the legacy was not appealing to them at first, as Jazmin shared, “my older brother wanted to do that and I was like, I don’t want to be like any of them. I’m going to do my own thing and not going to be like in the musical family but it obviously crept in.” Their initial goal was to be involved in film-making, but the entry point for getting into the industry wasn’t as easy as music, especially when the desire to use art as a medium to convey their emotions. “I wanted to do get my ideas out but I just couldn’t do that with something as big as film. You need to earn a lot of respect it’s not something that, unless you come from a wealthy family or you have high connections or you went to a really really good film school, it’s not something you can really just get up and do,” Jazmine stated, “I can make a song on my laptop, that’s something that’s very much more accessible.” The shift to music was a successful one and enabled opportunities for Jazmin to expand into their other interest and love into the fashion world. They starred in a campaign for legendary fashion brand Burberry and also launched their own vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics line, Cult Candy Cosmetics.
Now after going to rehab for ketamine addiction, the debut album, ‘Traumatized Livelihood’ by Jazmin Bean is set for release in February. The theme of the album takes the listener on a journey through their recovery process from the years of trauma and coming out of the experience optimistic and hopeful about life. This new album really helped me close some boxes on things I was feeling. I was very mad about everything, ‘Worldwide Torture’ was a very angry album because I was so mad about the things I was going through.
I was so upset but I felt like I let go of it more in this album and put all the issues I was having or people that were harming me in my life to rest,” Jazmin stated. Sonically, the music on the album is notably different from the hyperpop, electronic and metal sounds from ‘Worldwide Torture’ to more pop-based vibes. The growth is visibly seen as well, as Jazmin now presents themselves without any extreme makeup or hair. “It’s just a very different album to what I’ve done before and that’s always going to come with some backlash. I remember when I stopped doing the nose, the internet was like what’s happened to you like you sold out!” Jazmine shared, “I just stop putting eyeliner on my nose! There’s always going to be push back when you start a new era but I am personally really excited for it.” Jazmin is currently on tour through mid-December.
Jazmin Bean speaks with B-Sides host Pete Mar about their forthcoming debut album ‘Traumatic Livelihood’ and how it helped put their past issues to rest and overcoming their anger and struggles through therapy and music.
