DPS article draft

Born in the 90s, hates the mainstream and loves funk, but why has Jasmine been described as the best thing to happen to music since Morrissey and Marr mated.

Jasmine the 18-year-old indie rocker has stormed this week’s alternative chart with her new single ‘My Number’. Critics have described her as the best post-punk musician since the 80’s so we ask: ‘does Jasmine stand a chance in the current music scene or was she born to be a 80s music icon?’

I’ve flown all the way over to New York to visit Jasmine and the rest of her band for her first front page feature in Rewind. For a singer who has barely made it out of high school to do so well in the past few months is extremely remarkable. She recorded her first EP in her bedroom with the cheapest recording equipment that most people wouldn’t even bother selling on eBay. But now she’s just recorded her debut album and worked with the likes of Florence Welsh, Madness and frontman Kele Okereke, here at Rewind we predict big things to happen to Jasmine in 2013, with her headline tour coming up and a summer of festivals to smash, who wouldn’t want to buy her debut album ‘Given to the Wild’. 

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Jasmine shrugs.

Yes

“Really?”

Yes, so why do you hate the mainstream?

“Mass produced trends offer no real substance, message or originality which makes both artists and viewers conform to the media and not themselves. It’s completely ruined the music industry as well, you never see good real ‘guitar’ bands in the charts anymore, it’s just about auto tuned music that sounds the same and is utter shit.’ Jasmine lights up a fag while her guitarist [Harry Koisser] stumbles down the stairs, picks up a Budweiser and crawls back up again. Who said rock and roll was dead ey?

So Jasmine, what are you really looking forward to doing in 2013?

“Our headline tour of course” she says with minimal enthusiasm “it’s nice to have a tour to look forward to and to sell our album to the rest of the world how we interpret it, no one has heard it live yet and we’re all really excited about getting out there and throwing it in people’s faces… not literally”

What about all the festivals you’ve booked for this year that you’re not really allowed to talk about?

“Haha yeah, we’ve been sworn to secrecy on that, but let’s just say that if you’re going to any festivals this summer, you’ll probably see me and the rest of us up there on stage.”

So what festival/venue are you most excited about playing in the next few months?

“That’s a tricky one; I would have to say the Norwich Arts Centre because our gig there last year was absolutely crazy. This guy and his friend jumped on stage and caused the biggest stage invasion we have ever had. There were guitars and symbols flying everywhere, and at one point one of the speakers fell over and broke, they even had to cut the power just to try and get everyone off hahaha”

That sounds, urm, interesting. Anyway the reason I’m here is to talk about the past- the 80s more specifically. You’ve been compared to the likes of The Smiths, The Human League and Cher. How does this make you feel?

“They’re all music icons and I am extremely influenced by Morrissey so it’s a great honour, but I take pride in myself for making my music in the style of the 80s because it’s an amazing era. The music nowadays, as you know, is nothing like it used to be and I’m happy that people appreciate my music because I and my band put more effort into it than needed, just so it has a 80s feel to it”.