English non-binary artist Jazmin Bean is currently out on tour with their debut album Traumatic Livelihood. Jasmine Adams was born in London and started performing under the name Jazmin Bean at an early age.
They released their first single “Worldwide Torture” in 2019 and began a journey of making genre-defying music. There was also magic found in the makeup as Bean runs their own successful vegan brand called Cult Candy Cosmetics.
After soundcheck while on tour, Bean talked backstage about music, makeup and mental health before their appearance at House of Blues Chicago.
JN: Start off with identity and pronouns.
JB: My pronouns are they/them. It’s a difficult question to describe identity as I don’t identify as anything. It can change at any moment and has changed a million times. It might change the next time I see a new hot person.
JN: These days no one wants to be put in a box.
JB: Life is so transitional and people are changing all the time, so I don’t want to put any labels on it. As an artist people want to label me, but I am multifaceted.
JN: You are from West London?
JB: I am from North West London and moved around a lot as a kid.
JN: Have you been to Chicago much?
JB: I came one other time on the last tour. I don’t travel to the US often except for LA for work.
JN: Talk about your journey with makeup.
JB: I just wrote a song about how upset people are about me no longer putting eyeliner on my nose. I was surprised people had turmoil about it. I thought no one would care.
It was on my 18th birthday that I decided not to put it on anymore. It started feeling like a chore. Jazmin Bean in itself is a character but the Worldwide Torture role was so specific that I grew out of it very quickly. I started feeling like I couldn’t post photos without my nose being on and I wanted to feel pretty. I didn’t like my facial features for a very long time and once I hit 18 I didn’t want to be considered a clown.
JN: It’s good you are talking about it because people on social media may not think about it that way.
JB: People get so attached to one thing and won’t let it go. I have changed a lot since I was 16. There have been reactionary videos with negative commentary before I was making music and just dressing crazy. While some of the publicity is bad it has gotten me where I am today.
JN: I didn’t notice any bad posts about you.
JB: It was very early in my career when I was taking a piss with how extreme I was going with my looks. I used to do a lot of performance art when I was a teenager. There was a club kid phase that I went through and I rubbed chicken liver on myself for a performance. I have toned down since then! [laughs]
I am sober now so I no longer go clubbing. I had so much fun, but don’t need it anymore.
JN: That’s how I feel as well and I stopped drinking alcohol over eight years ago.
JB: It’s hard in this industry whether you are a reporter or a musician to be put in these situations.
JN: How do you describe yourself as a musician?
JB: I tell people I am currently evolving and I crave to perfect my craft. I try to be the best version of myself in my art. I will know when I get there and I know in the past I wasn’t at my prime. I know how detailed I can be and I always want a bigger budget. I am working on my evolution to hit that prime in terms of audio and visuals with each project.
JN: Why was the latest record titled Traumatic Livelihood?
JB: It’s like when you start laughing while you are crying. Stuff can be painful but wading through it can be exciting and seeing that your world didn’t end at that point is hopeful.
I wrote the album reflecting on that. I don’t think I will make anything like it in the future. I have said my peace unless other really bad things happen to me because this was a recap of all the bad things that have happened to me.
JN: That must be cathartic for you.
JB: Yes, and the title is about finding joy even in livelihood or unfortunate events. It’s about flipping things around to something positive. I didn’t want it to be a pity party album or become a representative for those who are upset.
JN: The angsty artist…
JB: Exactly. When I was a teenager I used to listen to music that I knew would upset me and make me sad. I have never been more genuinely suicidal than when I was 12. I don’t get that now because nothing was going on that was bad at the time.
While it ranges, my audience is around that age group and I don’t want to be like that for them. I want it to be a celebration at my shows.
JN: Your audience must also relate to your writing about mental health though as well.
JB: Yes and I was worried about losing my demographic of fans because of the topics. I thought some young people wouldn’t understand what I was talking about.
Like addiction for example I didn’t understand when I was 12. I just thought drug addicts were weird and I had a negative view of them. Now I see it as a mental health crisis and I have realized that no one gets to choose the age that they go through something.
I have suffered from addiction since I was 14 and now so many people relate to me. I didn’t expect that. I had planned to rebuild my fanbase after a few years, but my parents are still bringing young people to my concerts.
JN: There is still a stigma about addiction and I learned from working at a recovery center that addiction is built into a person’s DNA.
JB: I know this is true because I have siblings from different pockets and my dad was a heroin addict. They have struggled with substance abuse. My mom doesn’t have an addictive bone in her body and her kids that don’t have my dad’s DNA are fine.
JN: It can also be the environment. Speaking of environments, I noticed people are dressing up for your concerts.
JB: They are super cute and they all dress the part. It reminds me of going to concerts and wearing a look. I used to have a wig on and black contacts just to buy groceries.
Now while on tour I packed a suitcase full of day looks, but I am usually in pajamas.
JN: Do they wear Hello Kitty items because of your song?
JB: They do and I am so over it! That song was a joke and on my first EP. I never thought people would listen to it and it’s a funny song that doesn’t show off my vocal range.
JN: Your track “Terrified” does show off that range though.
JB: Weirdly enough I don’t feel like I sound my best on it live. When I am forced to give something my all because it’s hard in a studio then it can be challenging to sing it at a concert.
I love singing the new album on this tour.
JN: Is there a favorite song that you like to perform now?
JB: I love doing “Bitch with the Gun” and “Best Junkie You Adore.” Also “Shit Show” is a favorite as well.
JN: I watched that video before I arrived here.
JB: I wish I had waited to put it out later because I had such big ideas for the video and didn’t have the video to complete it. I didn’t have the resources to actually fall from a building, but maybe I will have the budget for that one day.
JN: Would you like to have the superpower of flight?
JB: Yes, because it would save so much money. There would be no traffic unless everyone else could fly too. I would be rich from not spending money on Ubers!
JN: I have dreamt that I was flying many times.
JB: I have never had a successful dream of flying. It’s irritating that I have dreams where the thing I want to do doesn’t happen.
JN: That sounds like a podcast Inside Bean’s Dreams. Do you dress up for Halloween?
JB: These days it’s a day off. It feels like everyone else’s day and not mine. I dress up every day!
I would want to do a cool character but not something that has been done before. It can be expensive to buy a costume for just an Instagram picture. I don’t go to parties or beg for candy door to door because I am an adult. If I had children then I could take them trick or treating.
I just don’t want to be a vampire or a ghost. I am also very selective with my color palette. I would like to be Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors, so that's a possibility.
JN: We have a big Halloween parade here in Chicago in the LGBQT+ area of the city. There’s drag and they can win prizes at the end.
JB: I love that. I will be on tour a couple of days before Halloween, so maybe I can wear a Halloween costume at my show.
JN: When are you done with the tour?
JB: I have eight shows left in the United States then I will tour Europe. I will chill out for a while after that before working on my next album. I need to be at my home for a bit. I don’t think I have had a proper night's sleep in months now!
JN: You have to take care of yourself.
JB: Yes, but it just flies by now. My mom used to drum in a band and she told me to remember the good days. She said that one day I would have to do the dishes and have a boring life. She told me to enjoy the days I am on tour, to try to soak up every moment and not dwell on the negative.
JN: You seem very self-aware.
JB: I am too self-aware. My mind is too fast and every waking moment I am thinking. I will feel the weight of the world on me even when I am sitting down!