Jasmine You (March 8, 1979 – August 9, 2009) was a Japanese musician, best known as original bassist of the

symphonic metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...

band

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. Jasmine You, then known as Yuu, entered the

visual kei is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock. Som ...

music scene in 1998 after joining Jakura, who managed to become somewhat successful before disbanding in 2003. In 2006 he was invited by his long-time friend

Hizaki Hizaki (stylized as HIZAKI, born February 17, 1979) is a Japanese visual kei metal musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as guitarist of the symphonic power metal band Versailles. He is also a member of Jupiter and has a so ...

to join his solo project. Soon after he also took part in the theatrical rock show

Node of Scherzo Shaura, formerly known as Juka (ジュカ), is a Japanese visual kei metal singer who first became known in 2002 when he was recruited by Mana for his project Moi dix Mois. In late 2006 he joined HIZAKI's solo project, HIZAKI grace project. He ...

, with Hizaki, Kamijo, Juka and

Kaya Kaya may refer to: People *Kaya (given name) *Kaya (surname) Places *Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department *Kaya Airport, serving the town * Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in centr ...

. In 2007 he joined Versailles and stayed with them until his illness and death in 2009.

Biography

Jakura

Jasmine You was born in

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectur ...

. He formed the band in March 1998, under the name . After Jakura disbanded on June 9, 2003, he decided not to join a full-time band and played in some session bands. In June 2006 he moved to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, and his long-time friend

invited him to join his solo project

Hizaki grace project Hizaki (stylized as HIZAKI, born February 17, 1979) is a Japanese visual kei metal musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as guitarist of the symphonic power metal band Versailles. He is also a member of Jupiter and has a solo ...

Versailles

In 2007, Hizaki and Kamijo (ex-

Lareine Lareine (stylized as LAREINE) was a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in 1994. The band's name is reported to have come from the French Queen Marie Antoinette.

) came together to create

and, according to some interviews, Jasmine You became a member without being formally asked. He was hanging around with Kamijo and Hizaki a lot at the time and it just felt natural to have him in the band. In the indies days Jasmine was in charge of the business side of the band, having a lot of contacts with other musicians, shops and companies. At the same time he was working with Hizaki grace project and Kamijo's project

, which also consisted of Hizaki, Juka and

. In June 2009, Versailles went major on

Warner Music Japan Warner Music Group's labels include the following. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records *Elektra Records *Parlophone Records *Warner Records Atlantic Records Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * Nipsey Hussle, All Money In * Mike Caren, Artist Par ...

with their single "

Ascendead Master "Ascendead Master" is the fourth single by Versailles, but their first single on a major label. Released on June 24, 2009, this is also the band's last single to feature original bassist Jasmine You. Both "Ascendead Master" and "Gekkakou" were "re ...

". Versailles released five singles, one mini-album and one full-album before Jasmine You's death.

Death

On August 3, 2009, it was announced that Jasmine You would temporarily suspend all musical activities, due to unknown circumstances regarding his health, in order to recover. It had been announced that Versailles' new album ''

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

'' was in the final stages of production and the bass tracks were being recorded. In the early hours of August 9, 2009, it was reported on Versailles' official website that Jasmine You had died. The translated announcement reads as follows: "2009.8.9 「Versailles」 Urgent Announcement: Though Jasmine You had taken time off in order to rest because of poor physical condition, we received a report that early in the morning on August 9, he died. Because of the extreme abruptness of this news, the members and staff are all dumbfounded and trying hard to accept this it. As soon as his family has been notified and updated as to the details and we receive their permission, we will further report to all of the fans. Moreover, with the current announcement, in regards to activity, please allow us to postpone it."

now cites Jasmine You as an "eternal member". Almost a year after his death, in an announcement of a tribute in his honor, the cause of death was still undisclosed by his family.

Posthumous

Fans in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

held four memorial

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' (Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become genera ...

s throughout the country for Jasmine You on August 22, 2009; in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. On January 4, 2010, Versailles held the Jasmine You -Memorial Ceremony- at

Shibuya O-East is a music venue in Dogenzaka Chome, Shibuya, Tokyo, where every week, mostly Japanese bands and musicians perform. The venue was renamed Spotify O-East in December 2021, after a deal with the music-streaming service. It had previously been named ...

, where themselves,

and

Matenrou Opera is a Japanese visual kei power metal band. The band was formed in 2007 by Sono and Yuu who were previously the vocalist and drummer of Jeniva.

performed. Versailles' 2011 album, ''

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (french: Saint Graal, br, Graal Santel, cy, Greal Sanctaidd, kw, Gral) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miracul ...

'', features the songs "Remember Forever" and "Faith & Decision" which are dedicated to Jasmine You. On the second anniversary of his death, his former Versailles bandmate Teru composed and dedicated the song "「For You」" to Jasmine You.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Discography

With Jakura

;Albums and EPs * * ;Singles * * * * * * * * ;Demos * * * ;Videos * * ;Omnibuses * ''B.J. Maniac'' (June 20, 2001, with "Jakura Shizenshuu") * ''Shock Edge 2001'' (September 29, 2001, with "Sonzai") * ''Yougenkyou II: Bewicthing Illusion Mirror'' (April 6, 2005, with "Katame no Shoujo (Yougenkyou Mix)")

With Hizaki grace project

''Hizaki grace project discography''

With Versailles

References

External links

Official blog

{{DEFAULTSORT:You, Jasmine 1979 births 2009 deaths 20th-century bass guitarists 20th-century Japanese musicians Japanese hard rock musicians Japanese heavy metal bass guitarists Musicians from Aichi Prefecture Versailles (band) members Visual kei musicians Male-to-female cross-dressers