jasmine.4.t - You Are The Morning [CD]

You Are The Morning was formed amid personal upheaval in 2021."I came out as trans to my nearest and dearest," she says, "Somedid not accept me, but some did." Jasmine got divorced, and adifficult home life meant she was writing while experiencinghomelessness and precarious housing, sleeping on friend'scouches and relying on community support.Despite the pain of some of it's background, the record is anuplifting look at t4t love. Jasmine describes her first transromance as the first time she experienced joy in a deep sense,because of her experience of living as a woman. First single 'Skinon Skin' explores the new joy of physical touch. Usually a quickwriter, it's a rare song that grew over time, during which a closeconnection with a friend began to form. "Sticking to the physicalboundaries we wanted to have with each other becameincreasingly difficult. We were spending lots of time together,then falling in love. This song became a celebration of healing andphysical catharsis found through unrepressed queer love."The first UK signee on Saddest Factory Records, the album wasproduced by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.Jasmine and her band travelled to L.A. to record at Sound CityStudios. It was made across 12 days in a highly collaborative andemotional process, and because Jasmine sees her songs as fluidand ever-changing, the recordings carry that free andspontaneous spirit.jasmine.4.t is supported by an all-trans band, PhoenixRousiamanis contributes piano and strings, with Eden O'Brien ondrums and Emily Abbott on bass. With Jasmine's voice andsongwriting at the centre, the record incorporates a wider cast ofvoices. 'Best Friend's House' features a chorus including herbandmates, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus ("thegirls and the boys"), Saddest Factory Records label-mate Claud,Becca Mancari and E.R. Fightmaster. The song carries thecommunal spirit of the record's creation.On the closing track, 'Woman', she is backed by the Trans Chorusof Los Angeles, a cross-generational group of trans singers who,like Jasmine, use their voice as a source of communal power. Thesong blossoms from solo performance to wider group catharsis.All the while, Jasmine sings unwaveringly about the power ofknowing yourself at a core level: "I am, in my soul, a woman".The writing of You Are The Morning pulled from dark moments totell it's story. Surrounded by friends, the recording process was fullof light. Through her performances, activism and artistry,jasmine.4.t is ushering in a new dawn.