Voice Behind The Visor: EDM Sensation Jasmine Sokko Bares Her Soul
How has 2020 been treating you so far?
I’ve been juggling Mandarin and English releases since the end of last year. I’ve never felt more bilingual being able to collaborate with people around the world in Sweden, China or LA.
Tell us about the mandarin single you’ve just released.
The new mandarin single, FEVER is about growing up. One evening in Stockholm, I ran out of contact lens solution. I needed a run to the pharmacy downtown – except there was no immediate transport available and Nathan Hartono (who was in the same songwriting camp as me) spotted some e-scooters by the pavements. Paranoia came to me: What if I dislocate my arms again? What if I am so bad that I get other people into accidents? Ultimately, my need for contact lens solution was so strong that I got on an e-scooter with stiff arms, rode through the city and did not blink my eyes for 20 mins. I came back to the hotel that night, fulfilled yet upset knowing that I would not have panicked at the thought if I were a few years younger. That was when it dawned on me that I’ve grown up.
I took this story over to the songwriting camp and everyone got melancholic reminiscing their youths. We threw lines and melodies and when the chorus came we all screamed. Then, I went to cry secretly in the bathroom after it was written because I knew it was special. Sonically, it sounded like the happiest song I have ever released so far with this anthem-like chorus. This is the first song I have written with a team of musicians and I am so in awe of how the song turned out greater than the sum of us all combined. And on growing up – I think you’ll never truly know the value of a moment until it’s over.
What about the English single that’s out this month?
I’m dropping an English Single called MESS. I have atychiphobia – I don’t like failures. People say failures are lessons learned but I stand by the fact that they are lessons forced upon us! I pooled a couple of Instagram Stories asking how people deal with failures and some spoke to me. On a grand scale of things, my existence as a human is as trivial as an ant that can be treaded on anytime. It’s not worth letting failure upset me for years when I could just say, “so what” – well, that’s in the chorus. I want to be driven by a concrete desire to do things, not by the fear of not being successful at something.
Sonically, I entered a phase where I was in awe of robots and the digital world after watching 2001: Space Odyssey. I had way more glitches and robotic talking sounds in my initial demo but it got to the point where I was making music just for myself and I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing as a recording artist. I see my role as conveying messages that could empower people through music. I want to be accessible.
Will there be an EP or album coming soon?
Never thought I’d say this because I grew up in a digital time in music where dropping singles is the way to go. I just want to build a new kind of narrative with different songs so… YES. I will release a mandarin EP and am (hopefully) working towards an English album.
Masks and visors have been a big part of your image since you started. What’s the significance of the mask now?
Wearing a mask used to be about deflecting the audiences’ attention away from me and to my music. I still stand by that now except I don’t see a mask as a shield anymore. I see it as an extension of my personality (being introverted or eccentric). I see it as part of the narrative I am building.
People say you’re “mysterious” and dabble in electro-pop. How would you describe yourself?
Someone once said that I sound like an AI Baby Robot who just smoked 20 cigarettes – I buy it. Other times, I would consider myself a geek or a Slytherin.
How would you say your style has evolved since you started four years ago?
I’ve only worn black clothes in the last four years. I come from an industry where there is so much unpredictability, it gives me comfort knowing that I can always have a constant. Otherwise, I grew up envying my brother’s wardrobe and have always liked androgynous clothes because I hated gender norms and living up to the expectations of being a female. I haven’t changed my mind about that, but I’ve grown to be a lot open-minded to fall in love with the intricacies of dresses and heels. I used to dress against what was expected of me. Now I just wear what makes me feel empowered.
During this time when traveling and having gigs isn’t possible, how have you reallocated your time?
I stayed in to rest, play tennis, make music, read books and I listened to myself for the first time in a long while. I thought deeply about everything I’ve done. I re-examined my thoughts, decluttered my physical and digital space, built new systems to re-organise my life. I also went head on with my fears and reframed the way I see them for the first time.
Sure, I am devastated by the ongoing pandemic. But amidst all of that, I am also grateful to be able to find a window of time like this to recalibrate just so that I could make better art for the future and share it with everyone.
If you could be any other artiste for a day, who would you be?
Björk. I saw a video of her dissecting a television. I want to learn about many machines.
What’ve you been listening to lately?
Christine and the Queens, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Rosalía!
Other than your own, what seven albums would you say define you?
Flume’s Skin. Rosalía’s El Mal Querer. Disclosure’s Settle. Lady Gaga’s The Fame. AC/DC’s Back in Black. Lorde’s Pure Heroine. Nirvana’s Nevermind.
What’s next for Jasmine Sokko?
I realised I have a lot of love for technology and fashion beyond music. Being able to blend all of that together would be what I want to work towards. Right now, I’m grateful, fulfilled and happily stressed. To be frank, I don’t view any of my achievements as a final destination. If anything, they are more of stepping stones to learning about the world and myself. I hope to make an actual difference for the better in the future and fight for causes I believe in like education and women’s rights.
Credits
Photography Joel Low
Styling Evon Chng
Words Ian Lee
Hair Samuel Sim / Hairloom using Goldwell
Makeup Manisa Tan / PaletteInc using Tom Ford
Visual projection Flex Chew / PLASTIK.PIXELS
Photography asistant Alfie Pan
Styling assistant Dea Woenardi
Visual projection assistant Dasha Shumskaya
Model Jasmine Sokko / Warner Music
Special thanks to Bcube Livesound & Productions for AV Equipment
First seen in the April 2020 issue of L'Officiel Singapore
