jasmine.4.t is the morning, noon, and night

Sometimes, she says, she’ll scan the front row for fellow trans women who might resonate with her story. Ultimately, though, she’s always deeply grateful to perform for people of all ilks. “I want to make everyone feel appreciated for coming to my shows. I take that quite seriously. I always feel very blessed to have anyone in the room,” she smiles from her best friend Han’s couch in Manchester. It’s from this very couch that jasmine.4.t’s heartfelt declaration You Are the Morning – released January of this year with a deluxe version following in September – began to take shape.

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You Are the Morning is in many ways dedicated to Cruickshank’s chosen family. A flower cannot blossom alone. There must be water, sun, soil – so many necessary elements to actualize true growth. In the case of jasmine.4.t, there is an expansive queer community watching her blossom, just as she does the same for them. If each venue is a garden, jasmine.4.t is there to water a field of brightly-coloured buds, hoping for them all to bloom.

To be out, joyous, and visible as a trans person is a life-saving measure and Cruickshank is adamant about using her platform for political action and awareness. While performing in Morrison, Colorado, at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, she got the whole audience of 10,000 people booing the UK Supreme Court, she tells me, referring to the 16 April 2025 ruling that strips trans people of their legal protections and the right to exist as their true gender, rather than that defined by the state.

The United States has also been rolling back trans protective laws, leaving many vulnerable to state violence. Traveling as a trans person means mentally preparing for any amount of state-sanctioned brutality, from being strip searched at the airport to being denied entry and detained in a prison that does not align with that person’s gender. “Crossing borders as a trans woman in particular is terrifying,” says Cruickshank about her experiences traveling for tour. “I have a good friend who was force strip searched at the border as a humiliation tactic. That happens a lot. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened to me or my bandmates yet, but it’s likely to happen at some point and it’s something that we’ve talked about – the possibility of being detained in a man’s detention centre as a trans woman is really real, and really terrifying.” As it goes, many musicians do not have to consider this as they move around the globe, but it’s a hard truth that Cruickshank knows is important for the general populace to be aware of.

Just as she speaks out for trans rights and against the genocide of the Palestinian people, so too does she cry out for Yulia – her close friend, currently incarcerated as a political prisoner without trail for speaking out against Israel. Yulia has had a good deal of community support, some thanks to jasmine.4.t’s avid advocacy, though Yulia will likely not see trial until late 2026. Cruickshank fears for her friend, urging audiences to send support in any way they can (learn more at Free Yulia). “We had a section of the set which is all songs dedicated to her,” Cruickshank adds, torn by the tragedy. “I’d always do a speech about what’s happening with her at the moment.”

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All this to say, while injustice rears its ugly head, jasmine.4.t with her electric pink-and-blue hair comes as a beacon of bright light. Cruickshank’s desire to stay close to her audience is a genuine reflection of her own system of support. Her band takes self defence courses, caring for each other on the road. Jojo Khor, who managed this last leg of the tour, was also a source of security, making sure the band was safe wherever they went. Phoenix Rousiamanis, who usually plays keys and violin, wasn’t able to be on the European stretch, therefore adding some new faces to the jasmine.4.t line-up. Asher Fynn jumped in on keys, synth, and vocoder, alongside hardcore drummer Maeve Westall for some shows, and jazz drummer Maxie Cheer for others.

Atop all this, Cruickshank’s support network has expanded outward, including a worldwide fanbase that follows her shows and has connected with each other. “I’ve got a Discord server for my fans, and it’s really sweet,” she says, beaming. “Sometimes I lurk there and see what they’re chatting about. It’s just so cute. I feel very blessed to be a part of this world and I feel privileged to be able to enable those spaces.”

While jasmine.4.t cannot hold this torch alone, the band itself speaks to inclusion. It shouldn’t be such a rare sight to see a stage of trans artists rocking out together, and indeed this world needs to see more. But to be seen in this light is truly a lifeline for trans youth. Cruickshank was closeted for much of her life, and without many transitioning transwomen to look to while she was growing up, coming out was far from easy. “I was sleeping on sofas for a while, trying to find my footing,” she recounts of that painful time. “It’s amazing seeing how little confidence I had in myself then.” Remembering a video her friend Yulia had taken at The Peer Hat, Cruickshank’s first performance post-transition, she was shocked to see how shy she was. “The writing, the performing of those songs, was such a fundamental part of my healing,” she tells me.

Indeed, jasmine.4.t has come a long way. Her fated connection with indie-pop darling Lucy Dacus brought her across the world, producing You Are the Morning at the esteemed Sound City Studios in San Fernando Valley alongside Dacus’ bandmates in boygenius: Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. Fortuitously, Cruickshank was then called to open for Dacus in Bristol at the Croft, just after Dacus’ first album release. “It was a really small show, maybe 50 people or something,” Cruickshank smiles. “We got on really well. We went to pizza, and Lucy was like, ‘Oh, I’d love to have you open for me on tour sometime.’” Incredibly true to her word, about a year later, Dacus had Cruickshank open her tour around Europe. The two really hit it off, staying close through the COVID lockdowns. Around this time, Cruickshank came out to some close friends, Dacus included. “Lucy really supported me through that period emotionally,” Cruickshank tells me. “I was writing a lot of songs and we were bouncing ideas off each other through lockdown.” Dacus then brought some demos to Bridgers, and the rest is history.

The moment Cruickshank signed to Bridgers’ label, Saddest Factory Records, her life was slated to change. “Just a dream come true for any lesbian, really!” Cruickshank announces (absolutely accurately). The “boys” of boygenius provide a haven for queer ears, a perfect, safe pocket for jasmine.4.t to enter. After the launch of You Are the Morning, she sprouted into a blue and pink duo-tone floret, taking off across the globe: touring the US, Europe, and Australia throughout 2025.

“I would have never dreamed I could have even travelled,” Cruickshank says to me, just after her friend Han hands her a cup of tea. “It was hard enough to leave the house back then,” she notes. Mobility and visibility is huge for any artist, but especially in the case of jasmine.4.t, it has been an asset in finding and celebrating queer communities around the globe. As difficult as it can be to move around the world, it’s a wonder to have programs like the European Talent Exchange to guide artists from across the continent. Coordinated by ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag) and co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, Exchange brings together around 130 partner festivals, 31 media partners, 23 members, five associated partners and 26 European music export offices, all committed to promoting and booking artists of every sound and identity worldwide. As part of the 2025 exchange programme, jasmine.4.t joined artists at festivals such as Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavík, Winterthurer Musikfestwochen in Switzerland, and Rock Werchter in Belgium – to name a few.

“I literally love every single show. It has been incredible,” Cruickshank relishes. “Having this way where I could travel and be safe, encouraged, and loved has really bolstered my confidence.”

And that’s it, isn’t it? Music has always been deeply rooted in community. From alternative punk crowds to jazz clubs to huge music festivals spanning thousands of fans, sound is the great unifier, uplifting both artists and listeners alike. Looking up to an idol, particularly someone relatable or familiar, is imperative for people of all identities. In these turbulent times, there is a beautiful power in Cruickshank’s presence. With her partners and chosen family on the road with her, jasmine.4.t is a sound rooted in solidarity. “I know that people have been able to see the love that I’ve received from audiences around the world. And I know that’s encouraging them to step out the door some days,” she says. “Being that person for others just really feels like such a privilege.”