Jazz Aurora

Class: 2020

Major: Psychology with a Sociology Minor

Hometown: Lawton, Oklahoma

Bold, unique, and unafraid to experiment, Jazz Aurora is paving the way in what it means to be confident in yourself. Growing up in a town that challenged her style only motivated her to creatively express herself, even creating her own clothing line. Jazz’s fearless and original style makes her this week’s So Hot Right Now!

How would you describe your personal style?

It’s definitely skater culture with a mix of urban black culture wear, streetwear, and proper fashion houses. I’d say it’s mostly streetwear though because, while I love all sorts of fashion, I need my clothes to work with what I do, whether that means running from the cops *laughs* or deciding to skate on the spot.

Can you tell us a little bit about your music?

I’d say I make alternative hip-hop, but I experiment with everything. Like right now, I’m trying to work on an R&B / trap album.  Most of the stuff I do is conceptual, and I like to focus on queer issues, mental health, my childhood, and what it means to be black. These are all things I’ve personally experienced that I feel need to be talked about. So, my music is just me expressing myself.

What can we expect from your performance at DIA?

I’m planning on performing a lot of songs from the upcoming album I’m dropping soon, which is a collab project with my friend, Waylin Falza. I’ll probably do some songs off of my last EP, some stuff from my debut project, Alabaster Slim, and a couple of songs I’ve released but aren’t on an album. It’s only a 30-minute set, but I'm hoping to get 8-10 songs in! I’m super excited about it.

Also, the performance will be kept clean, so be sure to look for the performance under the name “Jazz Johnson” on DIA.

What inspired you to experiment with makeup?

I mean, it’s cool, and it’s cute. I’m trans-feminine, and when I came out of the closet, I finally became more confident in experimenting with it. I was less insecure about expressing my identity. I mean, I still haven’t done my own makeup yet since it’s usually my friends who do it for me, but I really need to learn how to do it myself. Personally, makeup is not my style though. I feel like I’m more of a skater girl just doing my own thing, but it’s fun because whenever I do want to look good, I know I can wear makeup.

Has being at Baylor challenged your style?

Well, I grew up in a smallish town, and I was always trying to do something different, which got me made fun of sometimes. When I came here, it was like that again, but I just became more confident in who I was. It’s easier for me not to worry about it now because I understand people look at me weird. Back home, when people looked at me, it was because I was a black kid doing all of these weird things. Here, at Baylor, people look at me because they think I’m just genuinely weird. Either people love it or hate it, and I think that’s great. That polarizing effect allows me to navigate through spaces really well since I can easily find people that like my style and make new friends.  

What advice do you have for someone that wants to experiment with their style?

When I was 10, I was going through my dad’s CD case, and I found Linkin Park’s debut album, Hybrid Theory.  I remember opening the CD booklet and seeing piercings and colored hair. Immediately I was like, “Wow, I wanna do this.” So, I looked into all of these things, but I looked at them in the perspective of how they would work for me. Basically, my advice is if you admire someone’s style, don’t try to copy it. Instead, try to find a way to be inspired by it and make it work for you. If you’re trying to experiment with your style, try new things little by little and let them work in the context of your current style. I feel like this is the most organic way to comfortably experiment. Oh, also, Reddit is great. It’s a community-based discussion, and it’s all strangers just trying to genuinely talk and help. So, don’t be afraid to make a Reddit account and ask questions because you’ll get honest feedback that’ll help with your style.

Where we can find you:

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Clothing Line: STKHM clothing  

Written by: Jasmine Crabb

Edited by: Abby Sowder

Photos by: Tatum Hanson