“It was two totally different gigs and crowds. It was like a rap event going on downstairs and my audience was all confused,” says Jazmin Bean, laughing, of their most recent show in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection, which had the genderless British alt-pop artist headlining The Foundry while hip hop trio Flatbush ZOMBiES played the main room of The Fillmore this past December. I’m chatting with Jazmin via phone from their third date of The Traumatic Livelihood Tour, which they admit is going smoothly, but still evolving: “They went really well! The first two shows are always a gamble, where we’re kind of figuring it out in real time, and then we’ll go back and figure out what we need to do for future shows [laughs].” The tour will be coming to Union Transfer this coming Wednesday, October 2nd.
And while Bean themselves is a makeup artist and the founder of Cult Candy Cosmetics; with a style inspired by the works of Tim Burton and Jim Henson, drag culture, and Hello Kitty; when I ask what can be expected of the current live show, they tell me it’s really more about their interaction with the fans than what it all looks like: “I tried to elevate a bit of the stage design, but really I’m focusing on the performance and connection with the audience.” Jazmin even admits that that’s their favorite thing about making music: “The biggest thing for me is the connection people have made with the music. I thought I truly was unrelatable, so to see all of these people making this connection is really amazing.” But they confess that it can sometimes get a bit intense in a live setting: “It’s a different beast when you’re live. Like, I wasn’t planning on crying, like, ‘I know these songs, I’ve played them 600 times, I won’t get emotional,’ but then… [laughs]”
Jazmin Bean has been releasing music since 2019, but their debut LP, Traumatic Livelihood, just hit shelves this February, with Traumatic Livelihood (Extended) dropping earlier this month, both via Interscope/Island (They tell me concertgoers can expect much of the album, but also a good handful of older tracks.) Traumatic Livelihood (Expanded) features brand-new track “It’s not my fault (it’s yours),” in addition to four acoustic renditions of fan favorites (See Jazmin’s acoustic take on “Favorite Toy” below.) However, they tell me that, if they’d had the time, they would rather have released something entirely new: “I wanted to create new work. I’d rather do a whole new project, a whole new thing, because people forget that when you release an album, you wrote it a long time ago.” But they also admit that they do like stripping songs down to the basics, as well: “I always enjoy doing acoustic versions. If it was up to me, I’d do an acoustic version of every album [laughs].”
Music has been a major part of Jazmin Bean’s life since long before making their own, growing up as the child of Angie Adams, drummer and former member of punk rockers Fluffy, and Ginger Wildheart, mainman of legendary rockers The Wildhearts. Although they tell me that that didn’t necessarily make doing it on their own any easier: “I actually find it scarier now than when I was a kid!” In fact, music was something they’d originally avoided: “I steered away from all of that – I wanted to get into film – but I had to scratch that itch.” And they admit that their decision to go the music route has even helped them build a closer connection with their dad: “I didn’t actually spend a lot of time with my dad when I was growing up, but I’m sure there’s some correlation, and now we have a better relationship, and we bond over all of that.”
As far as what the immediate future holds for Jazmin Bean, they tell me, “I just wanna keep creating music and see where it takes me… maybe do an album or an EP. I wanna do an art show with the art pieces I make.” And they have high hopes for next year: “2025, I feel like it’s gonna be a good year… I mean, I feel like everyone says that about every year, but I think it’s gonna be [laughs].” Jazmin Bean’s current dates take them through nearly the end of October (about midway through the month they’ll head to Europe), wrapping with an October 28th date in Manchester. Considering the fact that that’s right before Halloween, which would seem to embody many of the things Bean holds most dear, I have to ask if they have any favorite traditions or routines for the holiday, to which they reply, “Now that I’m someone who dresses up every day, which I’ve been doing since I was 13, that’s my rest day.”
*Get your tickets here.
**Listen for Jazmin Bean on the next edition of Philthy Radio, 9-11pm ET October 18th on Y-Not Radio.
