From musician, to makeup artist, to fashionista—and even finding the time to be a dedicated Barb—Jazmin Bean does not fit into any one category. But who exactly is Bean anyway? Well, that particular question doesn’t have an answer with a neatly wrapped bow around it. Instead, the answer takes you on a rollercoaster ride. From the streets of Harajuku, Japan, to the glorious and topsy-turvy world of Tim Burton, you’ll encounter Bean at the intersection of your worst nightmare and your favourite daydream—a “visual and musical collision of the darkest corners of our imagination,” as The Forty Five puts it. Bean is a hybrid of both the terrifying and the terrific. Creating a myriad of gruesome gore visuals and musical aesthetics, the artist firmly places themself in a lane of their own—and everyone should pay attention.

What’s underrated? Bean, according to the artist themself.

Jasmine Adams, professionally known as Jazmin Bean, is a British singer, songwriter, makeup artist, beauty brand owner, business entrepreneur, and of course, style icon—so, just about everything under the sun. The artist is non-binary, goes by the pronouns they/them, and toes the line between popstar and underground rebel on a daily basis. Their Spotify following is only growing by the minute—currently sitting at over 700,000 monthly listeners, you might recognise them from Reading Festival earlier this year where they donned a “conservative yeti but very pink” fit. The artist detailed their experience to NME as a first-time performer, saying that it “is all I ever wanted to do.” Bean did a set at the Pit stage—notorious for the moshing mix of fans that rock out in it. Now that you’re clued up a little, here’s what you really need to know about the singer.

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As a champion of multiple aesthetics, Bean has been credited for their fearless approach to blending various styles together, sonically and visually, in their music career. “I create music and film that pushes the boundaries of beauty and societal standards—and throws itself into extremes,” they said in an interview with Dazed. There is a certain allure in the dark and lurid appeal of Bean, with their website currently featuring an image of them holding a giant blade. Frequently linked to other acts like Grimes, Rina Sawayama, Babymetal, Poppy and Melanie Martinez, the rising popstar has cemented their place in the alternative genre. Bean’s art seems to pull all ends of the spectrum, from nightmarish visuals to lullaby lyrics which both transform the way we enjoy and interact with music.

Bean has managed to gather a dedicated following that is just as into the weird and wonderful as they are. As for those who aren’t in on it, the artist shared that they love to play with them, “On the weekends, I would go to clubs and perform and do the most extreme things that I could do and see how many people I could shock,” they recalled in an interview with DIY Mag. They once even dumped a big jug of chicken liver on themself on stage to “really push it.” They dub this their ‘shock era’, though to the rest of us common mortals, they’re still in it—there was a point where the artist considered trying to pee on stage and drink said pee live from a cup to ‘Primadona Girl’ by Marina and The Diamonds. Luckily, “it just didn’t work cos I was so nervous.”

However, Bean goes beyond simply stepping out of the box. An issue the performer finds important is animal rights, “I feel like humans really need to get off the Earth so that animals can roll out,” when profiled for Dazed 100. “Also, I’m passionate about ending capitalism and everyone being equal.” Two-for-two, Bean. “A lot needs to change, and loud art is the best way to do it.”

The lovechild of heavy metal and sunshine pop—don’t worry we’ll break these down—Bean is certainly unique. This is translated clearly in singles like ‘Hello Kitty’ and especially, ‘Yandere’—a Japanese word for an individual who is head over heels for their love interest, to violent and destructive extremes. The single encapsulates this with lyrics like, “This might get a little messy, I’m sure, heads rolling for the one I adore. This may become a little brutal, if I’m honest, but it’s any-anything for you, my dear, I promise.”

Gen Z seem to have a liking for mixing the old and the new, with artists such as PinkPantheress taking the world by storm with dance-pop tracks that send us all into the haze of wired earbuds, Motorola Razrs, and painstakingly waiting for another Pierce The Veil song to pop-up on MTV—artists are starting to take hold of the power of nostalgia. With genres like pop punk making a resurgence in the modern music world, artists such as Bean are able to call back nostalgia while refreshing it with their own vivid and unique sound.

Bean’s musical influences range from many prevalent artists—with their dream musical collaborators being Avril Lavigne, Nicki Minaj and Gwen Stefani—they stated that they’d “probably have a stroke or something,” if they got any of them on a song. That being said, their most notable influence is SOPHIE. In an interview with tmrw, Bean talked about the death of the singer and the impact it left on them, “Obviously, SOPHIE was like a celebrity but I took her work very personally. I’ve never really cried over a celeb death or anything like that. I was genuinely frustrated, like ‘What do you mean? She’s going to come back’.”

Remaining relatively unknown—with their subreddit only hosting a small following of 1,000—is actually a prerogative of Bean’s, “I’d really like to remain with my small circle of fans but I really want more people to find out about me. I want people to see me on certain platforms and be like ‘Why is this person there?’ and be confused about it,” they shared with tmrw. When it comes to their music, the craft seems to be more important than the praise.

Released towards the end of 2020 under Bean’s independent label aswang birthday cake (stylised in all lowercase), Worldwide Torture is a metal-pop heavy EP consisting of five songs. Tracks like ‘Saccharine’, ‘Little Lamb’ and ‘War Zone Urchin’ contain messages that are both vulnerable yet, simultaneously, volatile. Some of the lyrics include talking about “gouging out [their] eyes” out with love, and being “scared that you will leave, so I’ll keep pulling at your sleeve.”

Along with the passion and intensity of the lyricism, the EP is also accompanied by Bean’s artistic horror-pop visuals. The theatrical camp art of Worldwide Torture comes from its medly of fun and fright. Though short, Worldwide Torture is still able to span various genres of music. When discussing the EP with tmrw, Bean said they were very unhappy while making it. “I hated myself,” said the artist, but Worldwide Torture was a learning curve for them. Making it was a turning point of sorts for the young artist, who is currently 18. “This work helped me fall in love with myself and put boundaries with certain people,” they further told tmrw.

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Bean’s music, though alternative to its core, can be claimed as part of the bygone subgenre ‘nu metal’ (also stylised ‘nu-metal’ or ‘nü-metal’). As one of the many subgenres of metal music from the 90s, nu metal took from preceding genres and now stands as inspiration for others such as modern American heavy metal. Despite its influence, the genre has had its fair share of critics, with NME slating it as one of the worst genres of all time as well as claims it is “​​rock’s most maligned offshoot,”—almost 20 years after the genre had apparently fallen out of mainstream popularity.

It is an alternative subgenre that “fuses heavy metal music with other styles like hip hop, grunge, alternative rock, hard rock, and funk,” as stated by Masterclass. With elements like jazz, rap metal, groove metal, and industrial metal all contributing to the sound and style of nu metal, the genre was influenced by many experimental rock groups like Faith No More. Less aggressive than death metal—meaning less harsh on the ears—it has become part of hybridised umbrella names like metalcore and deathcore.

Differentiating itself from its parent genre’s common guitar solos, nu metal features rapping and mixed vocals that are often a cross between screaming and singing—so, if you’re looking for that ‘racket’ your parents complain about, you’ll find it here. There’s also a heavy emphasis on syncopation—a syncopated beat will emphasise traditional weak beats and tend to sound more striking than non-syncopated rhythmic patterns. The heavily syncopated riffs and beats give nu metal an often jarring, asymmetrical sound, but the lyrics contrast that dissonance, as they are usually direct and angsty. However, not all of the lyrics in this genre are necessarily angry, they also cover a variety of interesting and subversive topics. Like Worldwide Torture, nu metal lyrics often explore “bullying and betrayal, others are about partying, moshing at concerts, hope, and even humor”, according to Masterclass.

When it comes down to Bean’s music, not only do they embody the core elements of nu metal, but the influence of the niche genre ‘sunshine pop’ (also called ‘soft pop’) is evident in their work. With a very small following dedicated to unearthing groups that fit the genre on reddit, sunshine pop is classed as a pop sub-genre that, like nu metal, originated in California, surfacing in the mid-1960s. Laced with limerent comments on the world that are often paired with nostalgic or anxious moods, the genre takes a sunny, soft appreciating look at the world’s beauty. Bean has also been grouped into ‘hyperpop’ by many publications like this feature list by The Forty Five.

As if straight out of Harajuku, you will find Bean adorned in all kinds of kawaii-inspired clothing with pink garments galore. It is clear that the artist, who’s also the owner of Cult Candy—their very own makeup brand—has a very keen and solidified sense of style right down to their influences. In a feature with Vogue, they gave tips on how to achieve their outlandish look, a “cat-eye mouth” complete with scary spikes and stunning violet contacts. They called themself a “genderless monster” in an interview with Truly, and their aesthetic appears to be exactly that. Here are some of the most prominent influences of the standout style-icon if you ever want to dabble in this world.

Bean is majorly in love with Tim Burton—I mean, who isn’t?—and cites him as one of their biggest influences. Being obsessed with dolls—like the Monster High ones they grew up with—as well as all things macabre, it’s no wonder the Hollywood director of cult-classics like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas is an inspiration of theirs. Burton, known for making freakishly fantastic films, has an aesthetic similar to Bean’s, one where the gore and the gorgeous meet. In their interview with Dazed, Bean stated that Emily, from Burton’s 2005 classic Corpse Bride, is a character they most identify with.

The artist has also got Toxic Boy, from the 2008 animated short of the same name, tattooed on themself.

Toxic boy from my favourite Tim Burton book and my favourite number on my knee , it’s new so it’s abit red but the pink on toxic boys head is meant to b der lol, I didn’t want that green 🦴🐜💖 pic.twitter.com/xhUO4JV9gE

— jazmin bean☆彡 (@abortjazminbean) May 24, 2020

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The look Bean channels through their visuals and fashion sense is heavily influenced by Japanese pop culture. Their style and carefully crafted outfits seem to be a melting pot of a number of unique trends such as Harajuku style, the Lolita aesthetic and Yami kawaii—Japan’s softer take on emo. Yami kawaii is a fashion movement that brings to light some of the most prohibited subjects of discussion in Japanese culture: depression and mental illness. It is also part of ‘Anti-kawaii’, a movement that aims to bring forth and highlight opposing elements to the typically known kawaii style, in order to leave a greater impact. Although the artist has never explicitly labelled these aesthetics as direct influences, their love of many Japanese trends is clear as day. Never missing a patch of pink in almost every outfit, their whimsical style is always cooky and creative.

Although it’s safe to say that Yami kawaii is dark enough by itself, throughout their style Bean adds an even darker element to their vibrant pink outfits, one known as ‘gurokawa’ (which is often translated to ‘Creepy Cute’ in the west)—a popular style of the 2010s combining the grotesque with the kawaii.

Many times I have described Bean’s aesthetic as something straight out of a nightmare—well, there’s a reason for that—and it lies within the artist’s connection to the Aswang (of which her record label is named after). A frightening mythological creature in Filipino culture—known to be shape-shifting monsters—they appear as normal people during the day (usually presenting as women) and transform into horrifying beings at night, hunting humans as their prey. The nocturnal beasts have a thing for human flesh, you see, even craving the taste of children—bringing to mind lyrics from songs like ‘Super Slaughter’, “yeah, my teeth are extra sharp, catching all my prey to slit.”

Bean—of Filipino descent—proudly talked about the creatures to NME, stating that “they love to scare bitches.” There is a clear connection between the mythological lore of the Aswangs and Bean, much like Bean has described themself, they also disguise themselves by using sinister vocal tricks to distract their desired prey. 

Bean uses art to reflect their worldview—to push for more. When asked what the role of a new gen artist was by tmrw, they said, “We shouldn’t go backwards,” and that they hope to continue to push and inspire their fans in years to come. All artists seek nothing more than to make their mark on the world with their music and Jazmin Bean is certainly one of them. With a mashup of mixed genres such as electropop, metal, trap, pop rock and of course, indie—you name it, the singer has managed to create a lane for themself as a hybrid of opposites. I mean, who would have thought that screaming death metal and sugary sweet pop could go together so perfectly?