Releasing his single today 'Ritual'. We got to chat to Jason Kwan about his new single, queer-Asian identities, and hanging out with Anne-Marie and Heartstopper's Yasmin Finney.

Hi Jason! Congratulations on the launch of your new single ‘Ritual’. How does it feel to have the song out for the world to hear?

I can’t believe it’s finally out! It’s really liberating and really exciting to have new music out. I haven’t released music since 2020. My new single ‘Ritual’ has a dark, broody, 80s inspired pop sound that I’ve wanted to experiment with for a few years now.

What was the inspiration behind the track?

I was thinking about how I’ve had to adapt and protect myself from giving in to toxic relationships, from being objectified and fetishised, and so ‘Ritual’ became my empowerment anthem.

Do you have a favourite lyric from the song?

In the chorus, ’I pray that I won’t sacrifice my trust, just to taste your lust’. I think sometimes the temptation of lust can put you in a situation where you are once again objectified and fetishised. The song is about promising myself that I’ll never let that happen to me again!

So, you’ve been very busy this year! You have performed at Mighty Hoopla and recently performed at Glastonbury. You have also become a brand ambassador for NYX Professional Makeup alongside Anne-Marie and also our cover star, Yasmin Finney from Heartstopper. How has that all been?

It’s been a whirlwind! This year has been so amazing and I feel really grateful for all the incredible opportunities. ‘Ritual’ went down really well at Mighty Hoopla - I love playing for my queers. And Glastonbury was a dream come true. I played a 45 minute set on the Sunday and got to sing all of my original music. I still don’t think Glasto has fully sunk in yet! With Yaz, it’s been such a cute journey of us becoming friends in 2021, pre-Heartstopper, and for us to then both be in the NYX Professional Makeup campaign at the start of 2022. The friendship has been serendipitous and I’m so, so proud of her.

Do you think we see enough queer-Asian identities in the music industry?

There’s always space for more, and no, we do not have enough queer Asians in the music industry. I love being a queer Asian in the industry because in a way, it’s quite exciting to be breaking the mold and paving my own path. It’s so important to have a diversity of talent, stories, and voices visible to really represent, showcase, and celebrate the breadth of queer Asian artists out here.

Lastly, where can our ReVamp readers follow you and keep an eye on your journey?

So ‘Ritual’ is my new single! Please do give it a listen. You can find me at @jasonkwanmusic on all social media, and Jason Kwan on all streaming platforms. I will be releasing a music video for ‘Ritual’ in September - so keep your eyes peeled for that! Thank you so much for having me at ReVamp.

You can download 'Ritual' by Jason Kwan here.