The Sound of Independence

JASMINE SOKKO, SINGER/SONGWRITER

THE SYNTHESIZED-POP SONGS are up-tempo and melodic, the music videos are fl ashy and futuristic and the singer, her slender frame sheathed in designer black, has a distinctive lilt in her voice. There's no lack of style on display here. The vibe is edgy and alluring, embodied by face masks that serve as both shield and fashion accessory.

Welcome to the world of Jasmine Sokko, a self-assured electronic music artist who is making her mark on the local music scene and places beyond. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the Singapore-born Sokko - her stage name is taken from the Finnish word meaning 'blind' - has been busy composing songs, producing videos and reminding us of what it means to be young, female and multi-talented.

INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE

Sokko, 25, burst onto the music scene in 2016 with 1057, a selfpenned single that caught the collective breath of an international audience. The music video, shot on location around Arab Street, opens with her eyeing a mirror and donning a gladiator-like helmetcum- mask (in those days it was a concession to her introverted nature). Accompanied by a thumping dance track, the catchy refrain invites listeners of a certain age to sing along: ''You don't know my name - you, you don't even care.'' The Berlin-based online culture magazine Kaltblut cared enough to gush that the song ''pulses with an emotional resonance that captures the melancholy of the millennial generation''.

Recognition, public performances and a contract with Warner Music Singapore followed. In 2018, Sokko made her debut on that label with Hurt, a confessional of sorts about banishing personal demons and beating insecurities - with a sting in its tail: ''I know I'm kind of selfi sh, I just want to hurt you back.'' The next year, she released her most successful song to date, Tired, which has 7.2 million plays and counting on Spotify. Winning an MTV music award propelled her further into the spotlight.

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FITTING IN

Sokko realised early on that she didn't fi t into the notion of the typical young Singaporean. Not for her the traditional career path: music has always been part of the plan. ''I never really felt like I could fi t in with my schoolmates,'' says Sokko. ''I was way too curious about the world and topics that people my age wouldn't be bothered with. Because of that I always felt like an outsider, in my own world.''

She adds, ''A lot of Asian kids can relate - their parents want them to pursue a more conventional and fi nancially stable path. Growing up in Singapore, most of us have this well-planned and structured road that's really right in front of us. Sure, it's hard work and there's a lot of pressure being in school, taking exams, living up to expectations of society. The route I took is tougher, but fulfi lling.''

In the eff ects-laden video for Fever, a song released in 2020, Sokko wanders down a country road and laments not knowing the value of a moment until it has passed: ''We were young, we were innocent...hate that I grew up so fast.'' It's a familiar theme in her songs. She says, ''I was pushed to pick up things beyond school, learning skills I would never have learned otherwise. The people I met shared a lot of insightful experiences, and my personal growth moved at an exponential rate.''

RAISING THE BAR

Sokko added a succession of well-produced numbers and slick videos to her repertoire, but she has also distanced herself somewhat from more recent bi-lingual Mandopop numbers that didn't diff erentiate her enough from others in the genre. ''When you know people appreciate a certain kind of music, you have a tendency to keep doing something over and over, making only marginal changes - but then you're not pushing yourself to try something new,'' she says. ''It became such a systematic thing to do that I somehow ended up making songs that sound the same.''

She's making an eff ort to rectify the situation. Last month, she released Medusa, a song she co-wrote and co-produced. It represents a tonal shift, with its provocative opening line hinting at uncharted territory: ''Everybody likes a good psycho girl, right?'' Lyrically, the song takes a diff erent route, she says. ''A part of me is fearful that this song could be too different, but evolving in your craft is very necessary.'' She's intent on challenging the status quo and perceived notions of the woman behind the mask: ''People always warn me not to grow up too fast, there's no place for glory if your heartbeat doesn't last...I'm done with people pleasin', yeah, I'm too real for that (yeah yeah).''

DETERMINED TO SUCCEED

Expect more anthems to female empowerment to come from Sokko's songbook. ''It used to be more about creating songs that are accessible to people, something that everyone can connect to,'' she says. ''I consciously wanted to move away from that.'' She adds, ''This new song is about independence, about strength that you find from within - it is so much more about listening to myself. Musically, what I used to put out was way more colourful sonically, but right now this one is a lot darker.''

Medusa and several more tracks are featured on an EP that will be released later this year. ''It's a new bunch of songs that push me out of my comfort zone,'' she says. ''I'm trying to express myself differently, to see how the Jasmine Sokko journey evolves.''

Sokko has said that her public persona - a fictional being who is masked and possibly dangerous - makes her a better version of herself. Fitting in was never her forte and to emphasise the point, she quotes French philosopher Albert Camus: 'Nobody realises that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.' In social media posts, Sokko sometimes refers to herself as a 'little alien', alone in her own universe and navigating a different course.

That quirky charm sets her apart from her peers but it doesn't mask a firm determination to succeed. Sometimes, in the middle of a performance or while recording a song, a feeling of gratefulness washes over her. ''Beyond creating art that people can digest, enjoy and find beauty in, it's knowing that what I do can make people think further,'' she says.

''Five years ago, I wouldn't have imagined being where I am right now. It's hard to be specific about where I want to be in the future but if anything, I feel that working towards something with a lot of discipline is still important.'' Sokko says her current mantra is 'take action, be intentional'. ''Every day, you put in the effort towards building something great and when the opportunity comes, you're ready for it - that's the mind space I'm in right now.'' - GEOFFREY EU