From a small village near Canterbury, UK, Jasmin Fairhall is an emerging voice in the alt-pop and cinematic pop space. With her striking vocals, heartfelt lyrics, haunting melodies and moody sonic landscapes, Jasmin crafts music that speaks to emotional truths with authenticity and edge. Drawing influence from artists like Billie Eilish, Lana Del Ray, Big Piig, MARO and Lola Young her style blends introspection with pop accessibility.
Who or what ignited your passion for music and drove you to pursue it as a career?
There are many different reasons as to why I started making music but I think the main thing that drove me towards wanting to pursue it as a career is that life’s too short to spend it doing things that you’re not passionate about and that don’t fulfill you. It’s so easy to work a 9-5 and just keep waiting for the weekend, but you end up wishing your life away and before you know it years have passed and you’re still in the same situation.
I definitely believed and had this mindset growing up but I feel like the Covid 19 Pandemic really made me take it more seriously as it showed us how life could change so quickly! Also, my biggest fear is being older and having regrets, or wishing I tried harder to pursue a dream, or wishing I never gave up. So I’ve made a deal with myself to keep pushing through until future me would be able to look back and feel like I did and tried enough… and hopefully with this mindset everything will work out.
How would you describe your sound in a way that sets you apart from the crowd, and why do you think it resonates with listeners?
I’m so bad at answering questions about my sound and genre as I never really know how to define it. I don’t have specific influences or inspirations but I guess I must subconsciously. When I write a song, I write in a way that’s meaningful to me, I never write anything that I don’t feel a strong sense of emotion or passion towards. I always write things that are very personal and meaningful and in an way that I feel conveys my emotions at the time. Hopefully my sense of self and authenticity comes through in my music and makes it its own vibe, as there’s only one you in the world, so why not hone in on that fact? I also don’t set myself any rules or limitations which I think allows me the freedom to be creative and come up with new ideas.
In terms of specific sounds I love to create like haunting/ethereal soundscapes and I love layering vocals and harmonies and also chopping up vocals in a way that almost turns them into instruments.
I think my music resonates with listeners as I’m always writing about real life situations, and I write so vulnerably sometimes I can get nervous releasing music because it means everyone gets a little insight into what’s going on inside my head. Nevertheless, I think it’s important that I write about how I genuinely think and feel, as we all think and feel things we never talk about. So hopefully by being honest, I can connect with listeners who have been through a similar situation themselves or can relate the emotions/lyrics to their own situations and experiences.
Your latest release ‘House of Lies’, is making waves on all major platforms! Can you take us behind the scenes of its creation and share the story or feelings that inspired it?
It actually stemmed from a situation that happened at university. But I have two stories… the real one and the fake one. The fake story at the time was that it’s about my sister’s boyfriend cheating on her.. that was true however that’s not what it’s actually about. The real story is that I went back home from university for a weekend and my sisters boyfriend cheated on her, we were talking about this situation when I got a giant pit in my stomach for no reason! I had a boyfriend at the time, and we lived together in a shared house with our friends. They all went out over that weekend so when I got back I mentioned to one of them about my sister and how it made me worry…. Then this housemate tells me that when they went out some of our friends were trying to convince my boyfriend at the time to cheat on me!
House Of Lies was written about this situation and the fact that I was then also lying by pretending everything was okay and telling them all the song was about something else as it would have been waayyyy to awkward!
Out of all the songs you’ve written, which one holds the deepest meaning for you, and what’s the story behind its emotional connection?
There are a lot of songs that mean a lot to me but I think the deepest song I’ve written so far is V.I.M.H (Voices In My Head). This is because I wrote exactly how I felt with no sugar coating or worrying about what anyone would think. I wanted to be completely honest when writing this song as I was at a real low point in my life after my uncle passing away. I was at university at the time so I found it hard to be away from my family. The reason I wanted this song to be so raw and honest is that if I could feel this way about something, the chances are that others will too. I could have sugar coated things and glossed over things as it can be quite scary for people to get an insight into your emotions but if anyone struggling could hear a song that can resonate with them even just a little, then it makes you less alone knowing others feel the same as you. My uncle unfortunately struggled with his mental health too sometimes so if I changed anything about it it would have been an injustice to him too.
Striking a chord with your audience while staying true to your artistry can be tricky—how do you navigate that balance?
I have found this to be quite difficult, I’ve spent a long time trying to figure out how I can follow trends when they don’t feel authentic to me. I’ve made posts before that aren’t my style for things such as TikTok, but I always ended up wishing I did something different. The thing I’ve come to realise is that the most important thing in music is to be yourself. There are thousands of people doing the same trends, so rather than following the latter, I’ve started to just post things I feel resonate with me and my personality. I think people also forget that trends always start somewhere and I believe if you do things that are unique to you, there’s nothing that say you can’t start your own trend!
I also have recently come to the realisation that artists focus a little too much on TikTok, it’s easy to do but before it existed people blew up in multiple different ways. My goal at the moment is to do things that make me feel like I’m expressing my art in an authentic way. I hope that makes sense. Oh also, if you have to change yourself to fit in with a certain audience, then are they really your audience?
What has been the most unforgettable or career-defining moment for you so far, and how did it shape you as an artist?
I’ve had so many amazing moments! It’s hard to pick just one! But I think my debut gig was definitely a highlight as I was headlining and managed to sell out the show! I also loved being able to sing at the Camden Assembly where so many artists I love have played before, that was very surreal. But one of my favourites is when I played at the O2 Academy Islington as when I was about 13 I remember going to a gig with a friend to see an artist they liked and seeing a support act who was absolutely amazing, I remember standing there looking up to her in awe as her voice was so beautiful and I thought she was like the most genuine and coolest person up on that stage. Anyways, when I performed at the O2 Academy Islington, in the middle of my set I noticed something in the room that made me realise I was in the same venue and I remembered little me standing in the crowd looking up to the girl on stage and now I was the other side. It was crazy.
If you could pass on a single piece of wisdom to aspiring artists, what would it be, and why is it so important?
Be yourself, make music that you feel passionate about and be free with your ideas and content. Too many people try to duplicate their favourite artists, or change their music so it can be a ‘viral TikTok sound’ but when this happens we are losing our creativity and our sense of self. I’ve said this before but there’s only one you, so why not really embrace that! If people don’t like it, then they’re not you’re people. It’s easier to get places when you’re crafting your music to what’s popular but when you get there you will have to decide whether you lose people and make the music you want to make or carry on being someone you’re not. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying ignore the trends and things like that because marketing is unfortunately very important, but I’m saying don’t box yourself in and limit your creativity just because it doesn’t fit the mould.
What exciting projects or goals do you have on the horizon, and how are you preparing to level up your artistry?
I have recently just been working on my new music video as part of the Music In May Festival in Folkestone and I had such an amazing time! Looking forward, I have a few new songs in the making with some possible collaborations, I don’t wanna give to much away but there’s definitely more music and maybe even more music videos coming soon!…
House of Lies is available now via all major platforms.
Connect with Jasmin Fairhall
Instagram | TikTok | Spotify | YouTube
Credits: All photography by Richard Brooke
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