With support from indie giants Boygenius and a whole heap of friends, jasmine.4.t’s journey into debut album ‘You Are The Morning’ is one of self-discovery and triumph.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Stories tend to follow certain set templates – the bedroom dreamer turned overnight sensation, the DIY demo that catches the right ears, the steady climb from toilet venues to festival stages. But sometimes the universe throws us a curveball that reads like a queer indie fantasy scripted by someone with actual lived experience, and that’s where we find jasmine.4.t, somewhere between Dover and Calais, her music now travelling much further than just across the Channel on her way to Pitchfork Paris.
“2024 has been overwhelmingly joyful for me,” she shares, in a way that suggests ‘overwhelmingly’ might be the understatement of the year – like calling a hurricane ‘a bit breezy’ or describing Boygenius as ‘some mates who make music together’.
But then, there’s a reason we’re thinking that: “I’ve just announced my debut album ‘You Are The Morning’, which is produced by Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker.” She delivers this information with the casual air of someone who hasn’t just name-dropped indie-rock’s most powerful trio, before adding, “and it’s coming out on Phoebe’s imprint Saddest Factory Records on 17th January.”
“Lucy Dacus, who I toured with pre-transition, played my demos to Phoebe Bridgers in the car”
The singles she’s released so far – ‘Skin On Skin’ and ‘Elephant’ – have landed with an impact that captures attention from all the right places. But before we get too caught up in the whirlwind of what’s next, this story really begins in Manchester, where the UK’s largest trans community outside London provided more than just a postcode for jasmine’s metamorphosis.
“The trans community in Manchester is super strong and full of artists,” she explains, with the sort of genuine warmth that makes you want to immediately relocate northward, rain be damned. “It has a really strong culture of mutual support, and I used to volunteer with an organisation called Trans Mutual Aid Manchester, which has helped so many members of my community.”
That sense of solidarity isn’t just a backdrop to jasmine’s story – it’s the whole damn stage. “I came here for shelter at the end of the lockdowns, early in my transition, escaping some grim things back then,” she shares, and you can sense the weight of what’s left unsaid. “That is when I wrote and demoed my album.”
Then comes the part where fate decides to flex its indie credentials. Lucy Dacus, arguably one of the finest songwriters of her generation, casually playing jasmine’s demos to her bandmate, who also isn’t too shabby at this whole music thing.
“Lucy, who I toured with pre-transition, played my demos to Phoebe in the car,” jasmine explains, still sounding slightly amazed by the memory. “Lucy texted me, telling me that Phoebe loved them and was on the phone with her manager talking about signing me. It was nuts.”
It then unfolds like a dream sequence in the world’s most optimistic indie film: “The next thing I knew, I was on a flight to record at Sound City Studios in LA with my transfem Manchester bandmates and Lucy, Phoebe, and Julien.”
‘You Are The Morning’ emerges as a record that could only exist through collective care – fitting, given its DNA is essentially a map of chosen family. The title-track began as a tribute to a friend who offered floor space and sanctuary when jasmine first arrived in Manchester. “Han stayed by my side through my transition and supported me in so many ways,” she explains. “The title-track is originally about her, though it has come to represent something bigger for me now.”
Then there’s Yulia, who evolved from sofa-provider to something much more profound. “Yulia is my daughter now and comes with me to almost every show as emotional support and security, and works on the merch desk,” jasmine shares, before adding with obvious pride, “She also makes bracelets by hand that are sold in aid of Trans Mutual Aid Manchester.”
“This is how I want to spend the rest of my life – making music with my community”
The support network extends further still, creating the kind of found family even the biggest major label budgets couldn’t manufacture. “My bandmates Eden, Emily, and Phoenix have supported me through so much as well,” she reflects. “We have such a connection from touring together as an all-trans band.” Add in chosen sister Bola (aka Bollibubbles), who’s been there through the darkest times, and you’ve got a support system built to last.
When asked what the album’s creation process taught her, jasmine’s answer is immediate and certain: “That this is how I want to spend the rest of my life – making music with my community.” Her influences are a masterclass in vulnerable storytelling. “I seek solidarity in music, as I think we all do,” she muses. “We want to know that someone else out there has felt the same things as us and is there with us.” She cites Adrianne Lenker’s ‘Instrumentals’ (“I’ve probably listened to it every day since it came out… I think it is the queerest album there is”), Elliott Smith, Boygenius (“obviously”), and Christian Lee Hutson – artists who’ve turned their inner worlds into universal touchstones.
As Live at Leeds approaches, she’s radiating excitement that comes from being both performer and fan. “I can’t wait to see my fellow Manchester queer Phoebe Green and also the literal greatest band of all time – Mould!” she gushes. With ‘You Are The Morning’ dropping next year and a calendar that’s filling up faster than Santa’s sack, 2024 promises to be the year jasmine.4.t becomes the artist she needed to see. The songs might have started as diary entries, but they’ve evolved into something bigger – a blueprint for what’s possible when community and creativity collide.
“I am hoping that my music and visibility as a trans artist can provide hope for other trans women going through difficult times,” she reflects, before ending our chat with a reminder to support Trans Mutual Aid Manchester. Because even on the ferry to Pitchfork Paris, with Boygenius on speed dial and Sound City Studios in the rearview, she hasn’t forgotten where true shelter can be found.
jasmine.4.t’s debut album ‘You Are The Morning’ is out 17th January. Visit liveatleeds.com for Live At Leeds tickets.
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