Singer/songwriter jasmine.4.t will release her debut album You Are The Morning on Jan 17th via Saddest Factory Records. Based in Manchester, Jasmine, is the first UK signee to Phoebe Bridgers‘ label, ahead of the LP’s arrival, the trans artist is sharing the album’s title-track “You Are The Morning”, which follows on from recent singles “Elephant” and “Skin on Skin”. You Are The Morning was produced by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Jasmine and her band travelled to L.A. to record at Sound City Studios. It was made across 12 days in a highly collaborative and emotional process, and because Jasmine sees her songs as fluid and ever-changing, the recordings carry that free and spontaneous spirit.

On the title-track, Jasmine said “One of my oldest and closest friends, Han, supported me through my transition. She would put me up regularly when I had nowhere to stay. She helped me sort through the pain I had left behind then find the strength to fight for my life and the lives of those around me. This fight is urgent, as on Trans Day of Remembrance (20th November), we named 427 trans people who have died violently this year.

“This song is about the healing found in queer friendship. It is about queer people’s resilience in the face of violence. It is about our potential to bring about change within ourselves, those around us, and the world at large. I think trans people in particular have an incredible ability to change this world. Of course, we are challenging norms of gender/sex. Beyond that, this year we have seen trans people dismantling violent machines of all forms to help manifest a bright future. This is what “you are the morning” has come to mean – it is an awakening to our power, and a call to action.”

The light still breaks through each morning. That’s the driving sentiment on You Are The Morning, the debut album from trans woman and singer-songwriter jasmine.4.t. Its title is dedicated to queer friendship, which she says saved her life. For her, queer people represent “a fresh start, new days which are beautiful and cosmic.” The album bursts with moments of love through its fingerpicked guitar, punk bombast, and raw vocal takes.

You Are The Morning was formed amid personal upheaval in 2021. “I came out as trans to my nearest and dearest,” she says, “Some did not accept me, but some did.” Jasmine got divorced, and a difficult home life meant she was writing while experiencing homelessness and precarious housing, sleeping on friend’s couches and relying on community support.

Despite the pain of some of its background, the record is an uplifting look at t4t love. Jasmine describes her first trans romance as the first time she experienced joy in a deep sense, because of her experience of living as a woman. “I was acting in a way I identified with, in the world,” she says. “That was the main source of inspiration, plus feelings of love and romance, and that being so heightened by the hormones.”

Jasmine came to the guitar when her late uncle left his instrument to her. “He was a very close member of our family, and used to pick us up from school every day,” she says. “I’m autistic. I hyper-focused on guitar. It became my special interest for a long time.”

Soon, she was playing her heroes’ songs from guitar books – but writing and playing have always gone hand-in-hand. “It typically starts with me crying into my phone as a voice memo,” she says. “I transcribe whatever I’ve come up with and write everything down as a stream of consciousness.”

First single “Skin on Skin” explores the new joy of physical touch. Usually a quick writer, it’s a rare song that grew over time. “I was still married at the time, though we’d taken a six-month break to have no contact and to see other people,” she says. “In that period, I was struggling with PTSD and didn’t think it was a good idea to be starting another relationship.”During this time, a close connection with a friend began to form. “Sticking to the physical boundaries we wanted to have with each other became increasingly difficult. We were spending lots of time together, then falling in love. This song became a celebration of healing and physical catharsis found through unrepressed queer love.” The song captures the instant rush of those feelings, as well as the complex ways that past experiences can be reshaped by the present, now that Jasmine’s ideas of love and connection have changed.

jasmine.4.t is supported by an all-trans band, who’ve helped each other through the stress of touring while trans. Phoenix Rousiamanis contributes piano and strings, with Eden O’Brien on drums and Emily Abbott on bass. With Jasmine’s voice and songwriting at the centre, the record incorporates a wider cast of voices. “Best Friend”s House’ features a chorus including her bandmates, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus (“the girls and the boys”), Saddest Factory Records label-mate Claud, Becca Mancari and E.R. Fightmaster. The song carries the communal spirit of the record’s creation.

“New Shoes”, the oldest song here, was originally made for Jasmine’s ex-spouse. “It’s a very optimistic song, but it also highlights some of the problems apparent early in our relationship,” she says. She remembers lying on the floor in the studio with her bandmate Eden, as Phoenix recorded the piano part. “In this context, it shows how much of a fallacy soulmate-hood is, but then how real chosen family is.”

For jasmine.4.t, activism and performance are closely linked. “Just giving a trans woman a microphone shouldn’t be taken lightly. I will use that opportunity to talk about the issues we face,” she says. Using her platform, she continues to raise funds and awareness for Trans Mutual Aid Manchester, an organisation that she has volunteered for which “has been very active in my friendship group and community, and has helped a lot of us out. It feels really good to give back to them.”

jasmine.4.t
You Are The Morning
tracklist
Saddest Factory Records

1. Kitchen
2. Skin On Skin
3. Highfield
4. Breaking In Reverse
5. You Are The Morning
6. Best Friend’s House
7. Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation
8. Tall Girl
9. New Shoes
10. Roan
11. Elephant
12. Transition
13. Woman

jasmine.4.t 2024-2025 Tour Dates

12/13/24 – Wasserkirche – Zürich, CH
1/15-17/25 – Eurosonic, – Groningen, NL
5/23/25 – Wide Awake Festival – London, UK

Pre-order HERE