Interview | Questions & Answers With Jasmine Crowe

Read our exclusive interview with Jasmine Crowe! As a curious note, she’s the winner of the 2016 and 2017 UK Songwriting Contest. Nowadays, Jasmine is promoting the music video for her Electro Pop single “Breaking Things”. And, by all means, her passionate vocals + the emotive lyrics are just pure perfection. Find out more details below.

1 — When did your career start?

I started writing songs at 14 and recording with Protools at 16. Being a multi-instrumentalist, I’ve always made sure to have a little home studio set up so that I could record ever since then. Recording is like playing another instrument to me and it’s an extension of my mind. When I moved to LA from Hawaii that’s when I really started learning and growing being around other songwriters and producers with more experience. I worked on my craft for years striving to be a better artist with my writing, production, and performance. Music is part of me and I’ve been doing it my whole life so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when my career started.

2 — What made you decide to participate in songwriting competitions?

My aunt was always encouraging me to enter and I’m glad I did!

3 — How many times have you won?

My co-writer Josh Anderson and I won the UK Songwriting Competition two years in a row, 2016 and 2017 consecutively. We also had 11 total finalist placements last year which included “Breaking Things” in the pop and love song categories. In the past, we’ve also held placements in the annual USA Songwriting Competition, Great American Song Contest and International Songwriting Competition.

4 — Was “Breaking Things” your new single about anyone in particular?

I originally started with the chorus lyrics for “Breaking Things” but I didn’t have any melodies for the song at first. It was something I’d written from a childhood memory of having a fight with my sister and breaking a gift she had made for me in a moment of anger. The moment I did that I immediately regretted it because I realized I’d destroyed something I couldn’t fix and it was gone forever. That lesson stuck with me as an adult going through relationships – the things you say and do can have a lasting effect. Having the concept I went over to the piano and started singing and once we had something my songwriting partner Joshua and I started arranging the track. All the things described in the verses really happened in relationships we’d had in the past. It was a true collaboration.

5 — How long did it take you to write this song?

Overall it probably took us a couple of days. Part of my songwriting process is that once I have the concept and chorus of a song, I usually start building the track around it so that I can draw inspiration from the beat and arrangement to write the rest of the melodies and lyrics. Josh being a drummer came up with the beat and bass line and I wrote the piano and synth parts. The last thing is writing the bridge which brings it all together.

6 — What was it like working with Tara and Brandon on the set of “Breaking Things”?

It was fantastic! I loved working with them as a team. Since this was my first experience making a music video Tara made it feel easy for me to get into character and guide me through all the shots so we could get everything done on time. A lot of planning went into it and I couldn’t ask for a better crew. Dave Warren as co-director and creative director also made it possible for us to get that beautiful car to use in the video and he got us the drone shots and extra sound fx in post as well.

7 — How many locations were involved in this video? Where was it filmed?

It was filmed at Club Ed in Lancaster, CA. The set was originally created for the Dennis Hopper film “Eye of the Storm” as a pseudo-Route 66. We were trying to shoot everything in one day so we utilized all the different areas of the set to create a feeling of time, space, and movement in the story. We even shot some of the scenes from the road and out in the desert nearby. Since we were chasing the light at such a late time in the year there was a sense of urgency getting some of the shots done during golden hour – so some it we had to nail in two takes. My favorite part was doing the pool scene. I had to warm up in the car for an hour with the heat on full blast waiting for everyone to set up the lights and cameras knowing I was going to have to climb into an unheated pool while singing in one swift take! It was freezing cold and Tara wanted to make sure I could get all the shots done within 15 minutes of being soaking wet so I didn’t freeze. It was totally worth it though ’cause those are some of my favorite moments in the music video.

8 — Do you think this video tries to teach us something?

Don’t go breaking things! Haha… In all seriousness though I think it teaches the lesson that you should be careful about doing things you might end up regretting later. Some things you can’t take back once they’ve been said and done.

9 — Is there a chance we can see you performing live soon?

The next step for me is going on tour. Right now I’m finishing up the album in the studio. “Breaking Things” is the first single and I can’t wait to release all these other songs! We’re also planning the next video which we shoot in a couple weeks.

10 — Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?

I would say I won’t feel completely fulfilled as an artist until we have the full show together, go on tour and play some festivals! Being from a small island I’ve never done that before and I’m excited to share my music with the world!

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