The Jessie.Mp3 project allows me to express ideas through music, visuals, and performance that I cannot do through face paint looks alone. Your definition is definitely fitting as well.

I began curating images for my side project Digital World Archive.Jpg about 2 years ago. The images are sourced from public Flickr accounts, almost all of which are abandoned and haven’t been active in over 10-15 years. I like recontextualising these seemingly forgotten images and breathing new life into them.
I’m fascinated by the idea of one’s ‘digital footprint,’ how even after you’re gone you can exist through what you’ve left behind in digital space. These images act as visual capsules of time, space, and culture. The 2000s specifically had an impact on me because I was growing up during that time, it was also when the Internet and social media were really taking off. I believe you can learn from past cultures like this one in order to inform the future.

Digital tools have already made a pretty substantial impact in artmaking and I believe they will continue to do so. We may see a decline in traditional mediums if museum/gallery infrastructure evolves to fit a more digitised world but I think many people, myself included, have already started to use traditional artmaking techniques in a new way.

I feel like as a queer person, you inherently subvert what’s expected of you based on cultural and societal norms. Because of this, you’re granted the freedom to exist outside these confines and explore yourself and the world around you in a more creative way. Additionally, I feel like the freedom found in digital space also allows the user to explore beyond what’s possible in the physical world. I like exploring this relationship in my art because it’s limitless.

My favourite look I’ve done so far is my full glitch face from 2019. I like to imagine a world in which technology and plastic surgery have advanced to the point where your skin, especially your face, could be pixelated and different imagery could be programmed in. Because of this, I often incorporate digital elements into my faces. The look itself was very intensive and took about 3 hours to render. I was really proud of how it turned out in the end so it was definitely worth the effort.

I conceptualised Virgo Couture, my drag queen persona who existed within extremely specific parameters when I was 19. Although drag and nightlife will always be at my core, I retired the project because I no longer felt like that name and persona served me like it once did. Virgo Couture is permanently retired but Jessie.Mp3 is a direct evolution of that project. Many people believe ‘Jessie.Mp3’ is a persona when in reality it’s just the name of my current music performance project. I do not like the idea of artists being tied down to a single project for life. I do not plan to work on Jessie.Mp3 forever, so when this project is no longer serving me I’ll evolve again and focus my creative energies elsewhere.

I remember discovering Lil Miquela on Instagram like 5 years ago and thinking how cool she was. I was under the impression that she was someone’s art project or something like that. My idea of her soured once I learned she was actually created by a digital marketing company to sell products. My version of a digitalgirl is more based in a curated online identity and how that can exist within a physical world versus Lil Miquela who’s essentially just a capitalistic device. I believe the future of music is unlimited.

I do believe that someone’s face is a marker of their identity, but I also believe everyone should have the autonomy to express their inner selves on the outside. Essentially, I see the blank face the same as a blank canvas or blank piece of paper, and by painting on my face I feel like I’m showing the world how I always feel on the inside. I know this idea can be confusing for some people but to me it’s really second nature.
I’ve encountered some people who are under the impression that my augmentation stems from a place of insecurity, which is untrue. It actually comes from a place of security and just an overall understanding of myself and how I’m capable of presenting visually. I truly believe everyone is capable of accessing this within themselves.

In online spaces, I feel like there’s this contrived, formulaic path in place right now for emerging artists, primarily revolving around social capital and virality. Personally, I don’t find either of these things to be very interesting. I do think it’s fascinating that more established artists are being ‘forced’ to create content on platforms like TikTok despite the fact that they’ve already achieved a higher level of commercial success and what that says about our current culture. I don’t take my Tik Tok presence very seriously so I just like to have fun on there.

I did, I had the opportunity to paint Tomasa for one of her recent performances. She’s truly one of the most genuine and kind people I’ve met so far in Los Angeles. She discovered me through Instagram and I really appreciate her kindness and support of my work. Tomasa also connected me with Sandra Blow, a photographer based in Mexico City, and we were able to shoot together while she was visiting LA. Sandra is really interested in documenting ‘trashy couture,’ which also aligns with what I do. I think it’s super cool and inspiring that despite all of us coming from different backgrounds and cultures, we can connect through these shared interests.

I’ve been working on my EP for the past year or so with my friend/collaborator/producer Cancercrush and it’s currently in its final mixing mastering stage. It’s been such an amazing experience working with cancercrush, we speak the same language creatively which has made collaborating so easy and fun. I really couldn’t have started this new stage of my career without him. My EP primarily explores the relationship between my digital and human forms but I’m always looking to pop and Internet cultures for inspiration.