Meet Jasmine Batson of HexKitten

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Batson.

Jasmine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up as a black kid, it was thought that you’d only listen to hip hop & rap music. I was an anomaly as I loved what everyone deemed as “white people music”. Of course, I loved hip hop, rap, R&B and soul just as much, but I stood out as always having an eccentric music taste. As I got older, I started to want to be an artist too and some of my favorite artists at the time, Toro y Moi, Bonobo etch really inspired me to start producing beats. It all started in a small bedroom in my great grandparent’s house. I’d make a beat in bed and post it to SoundCloud. From there, I got noticed in my city and was asked to DJ for an event a friend of mine was starting. That was in 2016 and now in 2020, I would consider myself an official DJ and producer.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Outwardly, I’d say it’s been a very smooth road. When I reflect, I remember always having a lot of support from people I know and also people I did not know at the time. I’ve been very grateful to have such positive feedback from everyone. Inwardly, I struggled the first couple of years DJing just because I had stopped producing. A part of me always wanted to get back to those bedroom beats, so this year, I’ve started doing that a lot more and am very happy with the result of it.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
So I’m a DJ/producer. I specialize in making things sound good and bringing good energy and a vibe to people. Making people move and dance and be happy to hear a drop is something I love. My music taste has a range that most DJs may not have or feel comfortable displaying. I think as a DJ in my city. You get caught up having to play a specific type of music, as you may end up working a specific type of scene. I like to think I’ve always set myself outside of that expectation and therefore have ended up with gigs that allow me to continue being expressive in the types of music I enjoy personally. I’m proud of being known for more than just DJing but also actually having good music taste and being able to make things of my own that sound good.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a regular kid. I played outside. I lived with my three sisters on my mom’s side, so I was always entertained. As I got older (middle school/high school), I was into art, music and just having fun, which sometimes landed me in trouble. I was always drawn to things that were dark, whether it was art or music. Being an “alternative black girl” was definitely something I was known for, which you can see now in certain aspects of my work as a musical artist. I grew up in a church family, so it was hard to express these sides of myself without judgement but it was never something I was willing to stop, so ultimately my family eventually realized I was who I was.

Contact Info:

• Website: soundcloud.com/hexkitten
• Email: thehexkitten@gmail.com
• Instagram: thehexkitten
• Facebook: Jasmine Batson
• Twitter: hexkittenx

Image Credit:
Kandy Wright, Garrett Reed, Mariah Lofton, Jeff Klamut, Vincent Doung

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