'I’ve never quite fit in': Who’s the real Jasmine
Sokko behind the mask and music?

Singapore’s very own เล่นฟรีslotxo masked musician Jasmine Sokko isn’t one
to conform to society's expectations. From her obsession with music to her
personal style, CNA Luxury’s March cover star is unapologetic about being
herself.

Iremember vividly the first time I discovered Jasmine Sokko. My Spotify
playlist had automatically shuffled to Jasmine’s 2019 hit song, Tired.
“I’m tired/not because of my sleep/I don’t like nobody and nobody likes me,”
the musician boldly sings on the track, amid a swirl of punchy electropop
beats.

Intrigued, I found myself Googling more about her and felt a sense of pride
when I discovered that Jasmine is, in fact, Singaporean. 

Though Tired was the track that launched her to mainstream fame, Jasmine
had already been making music for years. Some of her hit tracks include
her debut single 1057, released in 2016, and 2018’s chart-topping song,
Hurt.

In the same year that Tired was released, Jasmine was named Best
Southeast Asian Act at the MTV EMAs. She’s the first Singaporean to win
the award, beating out other musicians from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam
and more. She was also the only Singaporean (and only woman, I must add)
to compete in the top 10 of China’s Rave Now, an electronic music talent
reality show, where she ultimately finished in fourth place.  

At only 25 years old, Jasmine has taken the local music industry by storm.
But she’ll tell you she’s only just getting started.

THE PATH LESS TRODDEN

“Growing up, I was a pretty normal kid, just much more independent than
others my age because my family used to move around a lot,” Jasmine
explained over Zoom one afternoon, dressed in her signature black
ensemble.

Yes, she’s wearing a mask. No, it’s not because there’s a pandemic going on.
Whether it’s a live performance or a music video, Jasmine is known for
shielding her face by donning a mask – the reason for which she explains
later. Meanwhile, the mask has become her trademark.

CONCEPTUALISING JASMINE SOKKO

Prior to my chat with Jasmine, I’d only seen her on her music videos.
She sings, she struts, she dances. She’s cool, confident, with a bit of

a rebellious edge.

Over Zoom, the petite songstress strikes me as sweet, gentle and somewhat
soft-spoken. “When Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code, he described
the protagonist of the book, Robert Langdon, as someone he idolises and
wishes he could be,” said the avid reader. “The character’s fictional, but it’s
mostly based on him. That’s very much how I view Jasmine Sokko.
We’re the same person underneath, just different sides of the coin.”