Interview with Jasmine Pecson
Introduce yourself!
Hi! I’m Jasmine Pecson, and I’m a singer out of the Bay Area. I’m in college at the moment as well, and I go to SF State. I’m 20 years old, and I’ve been singing since I was very little. This is my dream, and I don’t see myself doing anything else in the future other than being a singer, entertainer, all of that.
Introduce your new EP, “Vault #2.” What inspired it? What is it about?
So my new EP “Vault #2” consists of four songs. So there’s bubblegum, look what you’ve done, moody and dreamy. All four of these songs were songs that originally were going to be singles, although I wanted to release something fun and something without a context to it.
I just wanted to release a full body of work, something other than putting singles out all the time. I wanted to release something that people can really appreciate and go through, instead of just hearing four 3 minute songs within four months. It just so happened that these four songs made the cut, and I created the EP.
Look what you’ve done is something I wrote to myself from myself, going through everything that I went through the past couple years. Dreamy is about me loving a person who I know isn’t good for me, but I continue to go back to them. Bubblegum is the complete opposite, and it is about me finally letting go of that person. Moody, as weird as it may sound, is about my mother.
I wanted each song to be completely different from each other, and I wanted this EP to be like a “get ready” for the new sound and for the new album I’m releasing in 2021.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs? What is your songwriting process like?
If not all, most of my songs are a direct access to my life, things I went through, how I felt, etc. When you listen to each of my songs, you’re listening to a little fragment of something that has happened to me. So a lot of the inspiration comes from myself, but I find inspiration everywhere. I could look at the grass and make an entire song about it in less than five minutes. I could look at the ocean, and grab a pen and paper and just start writing nonstop.
My songwriting process is very simple. I listen to a beat and really capture how the beat makes me feel. From that feeling, I think of either something that I went through that reflects that emotion, or I find something related to the emotion. From that, I pick up a melody that matches the beat and start writing. I love to write, and I love word-play and things like that. Writing comes very naturally to me, so I don’t have a specific way of how I word things—it kind of just comes to me as I go.
You are from the Bay Area—how has your environment shaped your music? What is the music scene like? Has the area changed since you were young?
Our culture here in the Bay is crazy, and I can say a lot of the music that I write definitely has gained some inspiration from my environment. Being born and growing up with a lot of people and exposure to Bay Area music, the way we talk, the way we operate - I eventually adapted to it.
Although my music isn’t exactly “Bay Area sound” per se, I can say the way that I write and a couple of the beats are definitely directly inspired. If you were to take my lyrics and ask me to say it normally, you’d definitely be like, “oh, okay, it makes sense now.”
I would say the music scene here is big but big in the sense of the city itself. There are a lot of emerging artists doing the same thing as me, which makes me a lot more comfortable doing music and being from the city. Knowing that there are people around me doing the same thing, and that would support me as much as I do them, is a good feeling.
The city has definitely changed since I was young. There are a couple things still standing, but a lot of places have been remodeled or taken down. A lot of art has been covered, as well. The city has a new look going on, and it’s pretty sad if you ask me. I loved the way it looked when I was younger growing up, so to see how drastically things have changed is an eye-opener.
How has this time of COVID-19 affected you and your music/career? How have you been coping?
COVID has been a real game-changer, to say the least. Me being independent means it is a lot harder when it comes to finding studio time, booking photoshoots and videos, and finding online shows. It’s overall made things a lot more difficult but not impossible. I like to just look at things knowing I can control only what I can control, and not stress over what I can’t. This year has been very challenging, but the music doesn’t stop, and the motivation is a lot higher.
What does self-care mean to you? How do you take care of yourself?
I think self-care is extremely important and something that people should pay more attention to. Being able to set time aside and really focus on yourself, really work on things that you want to improve on, or just continue maintaining is a habit everyone should start to catch up on. Before anything, I feel you should learn to take care of yourself, not just externally but internally.
I know for me, growing up, it was hard to really focus on self-care and allow myself to work on making sure I was good. There were certain things I would avoid allowing myself to realize, and it hindered me from being able to fully be happy and healthy.
Now I really value self-care and the many benefits that come with it. From time to time, I meditate and let my body fully relax. I make sure I’m hydrated and eating well. I like to try to stay in a positive mood and mindset as much as possible. Overall, it’s just taking it easy and taking the time to check in with myself.
Here are some rapid-fire questions:
Your go-to coffee shop order?
My go-to coffee order is an Iced Grande Oat Milk Vanilla Latte. I’m super picky when it comes to my coffee.
Favorite color?
Favorite color at the moment is purple. It changes from time to time, though.
Music you’re listening to right now?
Currently listening to a lot of HER.
Ultimate comfort food?
Ultimate comfort food is mac and cheese, hands down.
What has been the highlight of your day today?
Genuinely speaking, the highlight of my day is finally settling down and watching EMPIRE.
What is next for you?
I’m currently working on my 2nd album. No official release date yet, but it is set to come out in 2021—so keep an eye out for that!
Jasmine Pecsen is a Bay Area singer-songwriter whose music carries the duality of her past and present. Growing up in San Francisco’s Hunter’s Point neighborhood, many of Jasmine’s childhood struggles came from inside her own home; the only escape was to tuck away in some headphones and write to a beat. Now, Jasmine is letting us into her solace, her sound driven by a desire to tell her story in her own words and on her own terms. Over soulful R&B ballads backed by intricate, tasteful productions, the young self-taught vocalist shares her rawest vulnerabilities and the simultaneous strength it took to become the artist she wants the world to see and hear.
Social profiles: Instagram, Twitter, TikTok: @jasminepecson_
Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Soundcloud: Jasmine Pecson
Website: jasminepecson.com
