Friday, April 20, 2012

My Complete Article

Jasmine James

The British born singer who grew up in the sunny and beautiful Malaga has always had music running through her veins. ‘Since I was a child, I sang more than I cried’ as she says. ‘It drove my parents nuts!’ she continues than giggles at her childhood memory. Her blue eyes sparkle with joy when asked about her childhood. However don’t get her wrong... Not much has been served to her on a silver plate and you could almost say that Jasmine has been through ‘hell and back’ in order to be where she is today.  School and education, boys and heart breaks, love that never lasted and passion for singing... simply the highs and lows of her life.


Jasmine,I am burning to ask you, what are you doing here?
Smiles as she’s very confused ‘You sound like I’m not wanted.’

No, no, that’s not what I meant at all. London is the place with the worst weather and busiest streets. Why would you choose it over Spain?!
‘Ohhh...my reason is the opportunities London gives you. Here, there’s so much more possibilities than in Spain.’ Hesitates. ‘To be honest that’s the only reason and I am still not getting used to this...always changing weather.’

So, for how long have you been having to put up with London?
‘Don’t get me wrong. I lived here since I was 14.’ Makes a serious face in order to make sure whatever she says I will take it seriously. Smiles. ‘I like London. It’s energetic! There is such a huge variety of people here, food from all around the world and most importantly...music, all kinds of music!’

So I guess music is your biggest passion?
‘Definitely! I sacrificed so much for it. I could pretty much say, I completely rebelled against my parents in order to do what I love… both my mum and my dad had the stereotypical idea of a ‘decent’ job that would earn me a living. Doctor, Lawyer...a Travel Agent, but I just wasn’t cut out for it and plus I developed my passion for singing at a very early age. Since I was a child, I sang more than I cried and it drove my parents insane! As one of my earliest memories from childhood, I can just remember my mum joking ‘Oh JJ, why can’t you just cry or whine all the time...like other children?’

Must have been hard going against your parents’ will?
‘At first as I was not sure what I wanted for myself and would have given in. But when singing became my dream...even my parents could not stop me. I am thankful to my mum. Firstly, because she pushed me to learn languages. Especially English which is the reason I am here today, plus I also speak quite a bit of French and I have released a track in this beautiful language. Secondly, because they have put me through a real challenge during my teenage years.
While I wanted to join choir and was busy trying to join a band mum would complain about me lacking dedication for my academic subjects, stop me from going out to singing practices and literally not allow me out my house. None of my friends were into music much; I had no siblings, felt so misunderstood and lonely most of the time. Don’t get me wrong I had more friends than I needed...but simply no one with the same passion as me. I almost felt like I despised my parents. I saw this all as a...mountain. Yes, a huge mountain that I had to climb in order to get where I wanted to be. And I did it. My mum has created a girl within me who is much stronger, independent, and determined. Lets just put the past behind, my mum stopped opposing to me and now she is my biggest supporter.’

You keep mentioning your mum, but what about your dad?  
‘Well it is a long story. My dad is the major reason to why my mum was forcing me into the academic world. According to her it would guarantee me a good financial support, because my dad couldn’t. He was a man with bad habits and a lack of love for his family, well somehow I know he did but he did not show it; not a single time. All he cared about was getting a can of beer, actually a lot more than that, I rarely saw him at home. Therefore my mum was scared she wouldn’t be able to support me if I failed; but I didn’t.’ As she says these last words the peaceful smile comes back to her face.’

Well definitely you haven’t! I had the pleasure of hearing your single ‘Dreams’. It has been #1 on UR&BAN TV charts for over two weeks now. How do you feel about that?
‘I can’t describe it, but this feeling is amazing. There is no feeling better than knowing that you are good at doing what you love. It’s great! Also this song is so special for me. It has been inspired by my own life and the fact that people love, it means so much to me!

Any advice you’d like to give for those with ‘music in their veins’ and are looking up to you?
‘If you want it, go for it! I risked loosing everything, that’s how much this meant to me. It’s like my passion for music tied me up and I just wasn’t able to do anything else, I just didn’t want to.’

Jasmine, I am so thankful for your time and honesty. Good luck living your dream. Jasmine James smiles and with these words we say our goodbyes. However I am sure this is not the last time I will be hearing from her, her voice will occur on radios over and over again.

From July 2012 Jasmine will be touring world wide including other Top artists like Ying Yang Twins, Rihanna, Beyonce and many more! To book your tickets now visit www.R&Bworldtour.com. Don’t miss out!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Front Cover


In this new version the front cover of my magazine I have edited the Title Block because the previous one did not seem very outstanding and also it appeared too feminine. Since I want my magazine to attract both genders I decided to go for something more bulky and big. The Stencil font represents the urban environment, streets with graffiti, youth and modern music like R&B which is the genre of music that my magazine is based upon.  The colours of this title block also represent the colour scheme of my magazine.