Jasmine Catherine’s songs explore vivid, emotional stories of rebellion, love and self-discovery, often rooted in fairytales and mythology. With a background in musical theatre and classical music, her vocal range allows for soft tones and powerful belts. Her unique style blends pop, folk and classical influences and she is often compared to the likes of Kate Bush, Aurora and Disney Princesses.

Welcome to Abominations! For readers who may not be familiar with your work, can you talk a little bit about who you are and the journey that brought you to “The Dark Days.”

Firstly, hi! I’m Jasmine Catherine and I’m a singer-songwriter from Norwich (UK). I write, what I describe it as, fantasy-music or cinematic-pop. All of the inspiration for my songs comes from stories, whether that’s classic fairy-tales, mythology or fantasy books; I’m a believer that music is an escape from the real world, a chance to turn the world off and be somewhere else in your mind and that’s how I try to write my music. All of this is brought together with ‘The Dark Days’; it’s a song based off the fantasy novel, ‘Shadow and Bone’, but tells the old age stories of the hero falling for the villain, a saviour who never asked for the job, and just pure magic. All my other releases so far have been born from my favourite books, such as ‘Red Queen’ and ‘Throne of Glass’ (to name a couple), so it was only fitting to continue this tradition. 

You’ve mentioned that “The Dark Days” was inspired by Shadow and bone and the epic soundtracks of Game of Thrones, Pirates Of the Caribbean, and Lord of the Rings. What is it about those epics that speaks to you?

What else is there to say apart from the fact they are EPIC! The soundtracks written by John Williams, Ramin Djawadi, and Howard Shore (and I also take inspiration generally from the likes of John Powell and Hans Zimmer) are the perfect goosebump-inducing compositions; it takes you on an insane journey, utilising so many instruments, dynamics, clever timing, and they’ve truly nailed that cinematic rise and fall too. All of those elements are something I try to include in my music (with the help of my wizard producer, Nicole Gisbourne) as my music, at its heart, is telling a story. Now, ‘Shadow and Bone’, is a book I love, and a book I particularly enjoyed seeing come to life with the Netflix series. It includes so much you can relate to beyond the magic: forbidden love, having the choice of where your life will lead taken away from you, and the question of morality. I tried to keep these themes running throughout the song as, while I like my music to transport people, I also think it’s important to be able to relate or connect with the message/story.

In addition to its cinematic influence, the song also has a pop sensibility. How do you maintain a balance between the two extremes?

It can be quite tricky to maintain a balance between the two, I try to bring the cinematic into a mainstream feel but sometimes there is only so far into the mainstream pop ‘feels’ that I can bring it without it losing the classical, orchestral, soundtrack-like epicness. My main goal when I write to try and help is to bring the ideals and themes of soundtrack/cinematic influences but give it the structure of a pop song (where possible). However, for me the story is the heart of the song so I tend to go with whatever feels right for the song and right for the story, sometimes that’s more pop and sometimes that’s more cinematic. 

You released “The Dark Days” on October 30, a day before Halloween. Was that a coincidence, or does the music tie into the season?

That is definitely intentional. It’s a dark (pun intended) story with villainous themes and moral ambiguity; it’s packed with almost creepy instrumentation and distorted vocals and, hopefully, makes the listener wonder whether we’re getting a hero’s perspective or a villains or a hero-turned-villain. 

Your song includes orchestral arrangements. How did you accomplish that? 

My producer is an incredible master when it comes to orchestral arrangements in the production process, she is fantastic at knowing how to put what’s in my head into the song. I am very lucky to have training in classical music and music theory which helps a lot when it comes to thinking of instruments that may work, rhythm and melodies, but it really is my producer who brings all of that together. Technology and production is not my strong point but I’m always very lucky to work with someone who shares such similar musical interests, so it’s a very fun process.

“The Dark Days” also features six-part harmonies. Did you sing all of the parts?

I did indeed! I grew up in choirs and am trained in musical theatre so I absolutely love a harmony. It was a lot of fun to record those vocal lines and I loved hearing it all come together!

You’ve written that you’re not just a songwriter but a world-builder as well. How does your music conjure worlds?

I hope that my music builds these fantasy worlds by taking the listener on a journey, similar to that of soundtrack arrangements. I try to write my songs with almost the feel of a book or movie; the story has a start, middle and end, and builds in a curve with an introduction, climax and resolution (though sometimes I take the resolution out, like with ‘The Dark Days’). The aim is by having this storytelling structure in the lyrics and music, that the listener does experience that journey. 

Where can people listen to your music?

People can find my music on all the major streaming platforms, so Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Deezer, Youtube and more! Equally for some cool Behind The Scenes, exclusive sneak peaks, and more fantasy-fun things they can check out my socials: @jasminecatherineofficial (Instagram) and @jasminecatherinemusic (TikTok).

What’s on the horizon for you?

There are LOADS of exciting projects in the works, but most notably (and you are the first to hear this) my EP: Myths and Legends, which will feature an array of songs born from famous myths and legendary warriors (Zeus and the Valkyrie’s to name a couple). Equally, for people who also follow me with an interest in the productions I’m in, rehearsals have kicked off for the next Musical I’m in: Kiss Me, Kate, where I’ll be playing Hattie and acting as a principle dancer (with my music also including Musical Theatre influences, it will come as no surprise that I enjoy a frolic on the stage) with ENOS. Oh, and production has started for my next single but I’ll be keeping a bit of a lid on that one for now!