“I simply wanted to be cool,” rising electronic music singer-songwriter Jasmine Sokko admitted in an e-mail interview with 8days.sg when we asked how she got started in music. However, her “shallowest reasoning” when she was 13 turned out to be “one of the best decisions ever made”.

Fast forward 10 years, and the mysterious visor-wearing EDM producer now has a successful stint on China’s recently-concluded electronic music reality talent competition, Rave Now, under her belt. She was the only Singaporean and female contestant out of the show’s 15 participants, winning over the celeb mentors, Lay of K-pop group EXO and Norwegian superstar DJ Alan Walker.

Finishing fourth on the show, Jasmine regards her experience on Rave Now as a “stepping stone” to learn more “about the world and [herself]”. Because this competition gave her so much encouragement and exposure, Jasmine is now one of the most-streamed Singaporean female singers on Spotify.

In case you thought she just appeared out of nowhere, Jasmine has been carving a name for herself since 2016, when her debut single 1057 was listed as “the must-listen local track of the day” on Spotify Singapore, and topped the Top 50 Viral chart that year. She's also performed at festivals such as Ultra Singapore 2017, and opened for international acts like The Chainsmokers.

Despite her high profile achievements, the 23-year-old is extremely low profile when it comes to her personal life. She hasn't shared her real name, and has yet to reveal her full face on Instagram, only offering sneak peeks.

Scroll through her Instagram posts and you’ll see it’s predominantly black and has that matching Instagram theme” going on. “I used to curate and plan what to post just so my Instagram feed could look more cohesive,” Jasmine explains. However, she was fine with letting go of the “perfect” feed, and says she “stopped being as conscious” about non-matching posts ruining her vibe, because she “would rather use that time to work at [her] songwriting skills.”

8 DAYS: You are always seen wearing a visor and you've been asked to take it off on the show, but declined. Can you tell us the story behind it and why you choose to be so mysterious?
JASMINE SOKKO: In the age of selfies, I choose not to be defined by how I look because it is more of a peripheral concern to me as a music maker. Given a choice, I would love to be introduced by and understood via my music.

What got you to join Rave Now in the first place?
I was never keen on competitions but Rave Now had a very unique concept revolving around producers who are making electronic music - now that's a first! I was getting tired of how my positioning as a female often led people to assume I do not produce my own tracks. I was also curious about China as a whole since it felt very inaccessible from the outside, so I found my way there through Rave Now.

How did the producers find out about you? How did they contact you?
I was told that the show producers VPN-ed their way through the firewall to discover and contact me.

How did you get started on music?
I started music because I simply wanted to be cool as a kid. The shallowest reasoning but undoubtedly one of the best decisions I ever made. [When I was young], my parents put me through piano lessons - which I've never quite excelled in because I hate being told what to do. So, I saved up for a guitar on my primary school allowance and bought my first hard-earned instrument on my 13th birthday.

Why did you choose electronic music of all the genres?
I grew up on rock music and was part of multiple bands but switched over to electronic music the moment I heard Skrillex and Kygo. I knew at that moment that [electronic music] was going to be the future. Many of my rock band buddies relegated electronic music to “not genuine , programmed and unreal but I was never a purist about genre. I saw it as a technological advancement and wanted it to be the medium for my songs.

Were you listening to Mandopop before this competition?
I've heard of Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, JJ Lin, Stephanie Sun… You name the classics. But I am very foreign to the Mandopop industry.

Who’s your favourite Mandopop singer?
I really dig Faye Wong. I chanced upon her while watching Chungking Express by Wong Kar Wai where she played a very quirky character.

How would you describe your music style?
I write about upsetting subject matters with music that is fun. I think it's confusing but somehow it works. I am upset most of the time, yet I feel alive. Maybe my music is but a personification of me.

What was it like being on the show like and working with the judges, especially Lay Zhang and Alan Walker?
It was eye-opening to see how they perceive and make sense of music. I've realised how the music you make kind of reflects your personality. For example, if you are neat and meticulous, it somehow reflects that each instrument you program would sound rounder and close to perfection. If you are a minimalist, each instrument you pick seems to be extremely carefully programmed so that it exists for a purpose inside your song.

How does it feel to be one of the most-streamed Singaporean female singers on Spotify?
Cool! I am humbled by it, [and I don’t forget] I am only where I am today because of my team and people who believed in me way before anybody else.

What is the biggest event you’ve performed at?
It's the Rave Now finals, where I made an orchestral version of my original song, #0000FF. I requested for the visual theme to be royal ice princess and the set design team decorated the stage with plastic icicles. There was a live orchestra with glass-made violins, cellos and pipas. Blue lights were flashing and the actual weather in Shanghai was close to 0 degrees. I felt powerful.

Did you ever think you'd achieve this success?
I've never viewed Rave Now or any of my current achievements as a final destination. If anything, it was more of stepping stones to learn about the world and myself. I hope to make an actual difference for the better in the future. Wait up world!

You released a debut EP called N° last year, how is that pronounced?
I came up with it because it encapsulated what I was trying to say - basically a short form for Number since all my songs in my previous EP were numbers (e.g. 1057, #0000FF, H2O, 2D, 600D...). I typed and wrote it but I never actually pronounced it.

What inspires your dark-toned music videos and Instagram feed? Do you see yourself adding more colours soon?
I am very particular when it comes to colours. I like something definite, confident and consistent, which is why I only wear black clothes and that somehow spilled over to my social media and visual content. If you happen to see some colours, I've probably added them unknowingly or couldn't care anymore [because I’m too busy].

Which artiste would you like to work with in the future and why?
I love [Canadian singer-songwriter] Grimes! She's been my role model since I started making music because she was of the first females who made the entire song herself. It makes the listening experience so much more inviting and empowering for me. I'm all in for anything that represents the future.