Jasmine Villegas

PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- tokidoki, the pop culture brand meaning "sometimes" in Japanese, is thrilled to announce its partnership with International recording artist Jasmine Villegas.



As the new face of tokidoki for 2012, CEO Ivan Arnold states, "We couldn't be happier to partner with Jasmine. She will represent tokidoki apparel, accessories and beauty in a fresh and fun way that speaks directly to our consumer."

Villegas, only eighteen, is no stranger to the business. From the age of seven when she won a Hawaiian Tropic singing contest in San Jose, California, to releasing her much anticipated mix tape in September of 2011, Jasmine has amassed a huge following without even releasing an official single. Villegas opened up Justin Bieber's 'My World' tour and is currently the 8th most powerful artist and 9th most powerful woman on Twitter with 961,709 followers. In addition, Jasmine has 58,000,000 YouTube views.

"I am so excited to be the new face of tokidoki," said Villegas, "The style is so me! Simone's designs and products are so cute, everywhere I go – girls come up and tell me how much they love tokidoki!"

Beginning in January '12, the partnership will include in-store appearances, special events, and Jasmine will represent tokidoki at every opportunity!

About tokidoki®

tokidoki, which translates as "sometimes" in Japanese, is the vision of Italian artist Simone Legno and his partners, serial entrepreneurs Pooneh Mohajer and Ivan Arnold.

Since debuting in 2005, tokidoki has amassed a cult-like following for its larger-than-life characters and emerged as a sought-after global lifestyle brand. This innovative company is known not only for its eye-popping aesthetic and criminally cute characters but also its megawatt partnerships with the likes of mega brands such as, Hello Kitty, Karl Lagerfeld, LeSportsac, Barbie, Onitsuka Tiger, Marvel and others. tokidoki beauty is sold exclusively on Sephora.com and Sephora stores across North America. tokidoki is sold in its own retail stores located in Milan, Los Angeles and Santa Monica, CA. For more information, please visit www.tokidoki.it.

MEDIA CONTACT:
SnL Communications
310-996-0239
Marla White
mwhite@snlc.net







SOURCE tokidoki

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- American City Business Journals

Posted: Sep 19, 2012 8:56 PM PDT Updated: Sep 24, 2012 8:56 PM PDT
By FOX 10 News - Staff Report

Jasmine V Jasmine V
PHOENIX -

Here's a bit of advice -- do not get Justin Bieber's fans angry. The singer has more than 28 million followers, and if they don't like something, they let it be known.

We spoke to Jasmine Villegas, an up and coming singer, who found that out the hard way.

Before she was "Jasmine V," the newest pop star climbing the up the music charts, she was the "Baby" that pop superstar Justin Bieber sang about in his music video

"That was my first time meeting Justin and it was my first time being introduced to his music," she says.

Jasmine Villegas was living every teen girl's dream. She was the object of Justin Bieber's affection on screen -- and rumored to be off-screen as well.

And that led to the wrath from Bieber's legion of female fans.

It even led to her on screen kiss with the Biebs to be edited out.

"It was all about making the fans happy so whatever was cut out of the video was for a good reason."

We asked: "Did you ever date or go on a date?"

Jasmine said: "Well it's really irrelevant to talk about now. We're cool friends we were hanging out a lot. So yeah."

Now she's out touring on her own, performing before huge crowds, and her songs have more than 4 million views on YouTube -- the same site where she was discovered singing covers of her favorite songs just a few years ago.

"A lot of people get discovered on YouTube because everyone is on YouTube. People are looking for new videos, new songs, new covers," says Jasmine.

"I love to sing. It got me this far. It all started when I was 11 so it was a journey. I'm 18 now so I'm glad I started early." - Worldnow / Fox Television Stations

In her latest video, "Didn't Mean It," singer Jasmine Villegas ("Baby," "Werk"), tells the story of a young woman who is trying to escape a domestically violent relationship. If the graphic video--which starts with Jasmine being physically abused by her boyfriend--feels a little too real, that's because it is.

Jasmine, who's half-Mexican, was herself in a domestically violent relationship and she's releasing the new video in an effort to raise awareness about domestic violence and help other young girls going through the same thing.

“This topic is very important to me because it’s something I experienced firsthand for over a year in a bad relationship," Jasmine told MTV.com. "Fortunately for me, I was able to get out relatively early, and now I want to let other women know that you don’t have to feel ashamed or embarrassed about getting help…I believe every woman is beautiful and sometimes we get caught up in situations or relationships that make us lose sight of how beautiful and precious we really are,” she said.

Jasmine, whose emotional new video tugs at our heartstrings, tells The Huffington Post she wants people who are going through what she went through, to reach out and ask for help. "If you or someone you know is going through this, visit LoveisRespect.org," she said. "You can talk to someone, get out of it and NEVER LOOK BACK!' she says.

We love you, Jasmine! Stay strong, chica!

Buy the song on iTunes. - Huffington Post

You may recognize 19-year-old Jasmine Villegas as that girl who got real close to Justin Bieber in his “Baby” video (like holding hands, touching faces close), sending millions of Beliebers to jealous-town, USA. Well, Jasmine’s back with her own video premiere for “Didn’t Mean It”-- and we are still wiping our tears over her mission to bring awareness to domestic abuse.

“Didn’t Mean It”, which premiered on Buzzworthy last week, is one of those rare, bone-chilling videos. We watch as Jasmine gets slapped by her boyfriend and dragged across the room. We watch as she struggles to let her abusive boyfriend go. Then, we watch as the singer finds the amazing strength to pack up her suitcases and leave her abuser. You can watch the video below.

Domestic violence is all too real for Jasmine, who was in an abusive relationship for over a year. "What he 'didn't mean' was all the times he put me down, all the verbal and emotional abuse. It's all the negative things he said and did including the times he physically abused me," explained Jasmine about the title of her song.

Through her music video the soulful songstress is using her own experience to create awareness for domestic violence, to let victims know that they don’t need to live in shame and to inspire all to take action against abuse. The end of “Didn’t Mean It” shares some scary statistics:

+Nearly 15 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.

+ One in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner.

+Only 33% of teens who have ever been in an abusive relationship have reported it.

Domestic violence is far-reaching and under-reported. If you or someone you know is a victim, do like Jasmine and get help ASAP with resources such as Love Is Respect. Jasmine's video is really resonating with her fans too. A few days after the video premiered, Love Is Respect saw a big increase in in calls, chats and texts about dating abuse. Jasmine took some time to chat with us about her music video, her personal experience with dating abuse and how to speak out about it.

Photo: (Mike Ho)

MTV ACT: How did you find the courage to leave your abusive relationship? Who or what did you turn to for comfort?

JASMINE: What gave me the courage to leave was honestly God. It got to the point where my self-esteem was so low that I actually started believing it was my fault and that I deserved it. In my weakest moment, God me sent an angel who put a stop to everything. In one of our more severe fights, there was a random stranger outside the house who heard the fighting and called the police. When the cops came I knew it was probably going to be my only escape. That's when I broke down and realized how dangerous my situation was and I got the strength to walk away from the relationship and NEVER LOOK BACK.

MTV ACT: What advice can you give to someone who is currently in an abusive relationship or whose friend are in abusive relationship?

JASMINE: My advice is that if you are in or know someone that's in an abusive relationship it NEVER gets better. I tried to believe that things would change for the better but it only got worst. My advice would be to go to organizations like Love Is Respect and research online how you can get help. There's also a hotline number you can call 24 hrs a day 1-866-331-9474 to speak to someone who can help you. You can also text "loveis" to 77054. Overall just remember that you have to take action and get out! You can't ignore the situation, it will not go away.

MTV ACT: Since your video premiere Love Is Respect received an increase in calls, texts and chat. How do you feel about the fact that your video is sparking people to take action?

JASMINE: That makes all the work we put into the video worthwhile! That's the reason I wanted to share my story. I love being an artist but it's the most rewarding feeling when your music speaks for a cause and makes a difference in someone's life.

MTV ACT: What can others do to prevent domestic abuse and raise awareness about this deeply important issue?

JASMINE: Domestic abuse is a huge problem especially amongst teenagers and I feel that's partly because the issue doesn't have the awareness it needs. I remember in my school they talked about different kids of issues but I don't remember anyone ever speaking about domestic violence. Even if you haven't experienced domestic violence the chances are there is someone around that has or is currently going through it. I would encourage everyone to visit websites like Love Is Respect or No More and get information about spreading awareness. - Viacom International

Jasmine Villegas's new video "Didn't Mean It" has a powerful message about the effects dating violence can have. She opens up to Seventeen about the scary personal connection she has to the song. - Hearst Communications

April 02, 2012
Fans take center stage and become part of the action in new HTML5 music video.
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REDMOND, Wash. — April 2, 2012 — Fans of recording artist Jasmine Villegas have a new way to immerse themselves in her music as they become part of the new video for her hit song, “Just a Friend.” Villegas (known simply as Jasmine) partnered with Internet Explorer and the interactive storytellers at Digital Kitchen to create a highly interactive music video that tailors the experience to each viewer, giving everyone the opportunity to influence the outcome of the storyline, see their own Facebook photos throughout the video and even “talk” to Jasmine herself.
Jasmine Villegas, teen music sensation and star of "JustaFriend.ie."
Jasmine Villegas
April 02, 2012
Jasmine Villegas, teen music sensation and star of "JustaFriend.ie."
Download: Web

The new video, available at JustaFriend.ie, is the first tobring together a variety of interactive features into one online experience. After logging in with their Facebook account, fans will immediately notice familiar photos appear on the navigation page and throughout the video. The teams at Internet Explorer and Digital Kitchen designed the experience so that people feel as though they are actually hanging out with Jasmine —they can go bowling with her and her friends, help her keep tabs on her cheating boyfriend, and even go dancing with her at a party.

Keeping in touch with fans has always been a priority for Jasmine, who has been performing for more than a decade, building a dedicated teen following through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter — where she has more than 1 million followers. In 2011, Klout named her the No. 9 most influential musician and the No. 8 top woman on Twitter. Jasmine has managed to stay connected with her fans via social media throughout her career — as she’s grown, so have they, and now she’s excited to share this experience with them.
Download Internet Explorer 9

“I think this type of video will bring me closer to everyone who enjoys my music,” Jasmine says. “It’s not possible for me to meet all of my fans in person, but this is a new and fun way for them to feel connected to me. A lot of my fans use Facebook, and if they sign in with their account, their pictures will appear in a few spots in the video, and they can receive phone calls from me, too.”

One of the most unique aspects of the video is an actual phone call from Jasmine at the end. After watching the video, fans can dial their own number from her phone on the site to have a brief “conversation” with her — a conversation that changes based on what they did during the video. Technology embedded in the site enables VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calling to mobile telephone numbers through the Web.

The interactive experience features all new video footage and a completely new version of the song, remixed by Netherlands-based DJ Chuckie, the international dance-scene mix master known for explosive beats and surprise effects.
After viewing the video, fans have the opportunity to enter their phone number into Jasmine’s phone to receive a follow-up call from the star herself.
Phone for Fans
April 02, 2012
After viewing the video, fans have the opportunity to enter their phone number into Jasmine’s phone to receive a follow-up call from the star herself.
Download: Web

“I’m excited about the release of Jasmine’s ‘Just a Friend’,” Chuckie says. “Not just because it’s my remix but also because the technology behind it will change the way musicians interact with their fans."

JustaFriend.ieis the latest in a series of online experiences, including Cut the Rope and the Hunger Games Capitol Tour, made possible by the Internet Explorer team. For the new “Just a Friend” release, the team wanted to experiment with the traditional concept of music videos and give fans a choose-your-own-adventure type of experience.

“All of the online experiences we are creating are designed to challenge conventional thinking about what’s possible on the Web, whether it’s for online gaming, movies or now music,” said Ryan Gavin, general manager for the Internet Explorer team. “In this case, we wanted to show a dramatically different take on a music video that puts the focus on the fans and the music. As part of this, we also continued our focus on using HTLM5 to ensure the best possible experience for everyone.”
Combining the power of HTML5 with Internet Explorer 9 opens up new possibilities on the Web, enabling immersive, highly attractive experiences. HTML5 allows developers to create cleaner online content using fewer plug-ins to achieve the same amount of visual appeal and back-end practicality, which translates into better experiences for those visiting HTML5-based sites. Although the site works in all major browsers, it is best on Internet Explorer 9 thanks to its hardware acceleration, which ensures supersmooth HTML5 video and crystal-clear HTML5 audio.

Those interested in learning more about how Digital Kitchen and the Internet Explorer team used HTML5 to bring the video to life can find out on the Exploring IE blog. There is also a full Behind the Scenes page on the site’s development available at http://www.justafriend.ie/dev.

While many people might be more interested in learning about the behind-the-scenes efforts, Jasmine is just eager for her fans to experience the new interactive video for themselves.

“I definitely think my fans are going to love it,” Jasmine says. “When I first watched it, I played it a good 10 times — because it’s like a video game! You want to play it over and over again just to see the different choices.”

To create your own personalized music video, check out JustaFriend.ie. - Microsoft