Andrea Carver was born in 1996 in a small town just outside of Seattle, Washington. She never actually knew her parents, because shortly after her birth, she and her older siblings Heather and Tyler were sent to live with their grandparents in Tacoma. The siblings care for each other, though Tyler has grown apart from the family in recent years.

When she was thirteen, Andrea had a life-shattering experience. She was walking home from school one afternoon only to have a firefight explode before her eyes. Three Arasaka solos had hunted down a Militech "spy" and nailed him in public view. After the Militech guy was wiped up, the Arasaka men, high on combat drugs, started looking for other amusements. Andrea and two school companions were snatched off the street, violently raped, and left in an alley half-dead. The girls were found not long afterwards, and were returned to their families after a visit to the hospital. Naturally, the solos were long gone by then.

The traumatized Andrea was sent to an aunt in Seattle who worked in a trauma center. Under her aunt Carolyn's care, Andrea slowly healed, though in part her healing was accomplished by the blocking off of those memories. Andrea became a very serious young woman who seemed about twenty years older than she actually was. At this time, she got very heavily into music, eagerly devouring her aunt's wide-ranging collection, it was at this time that the young girl decided to make rock music her career. She had a lovely singing voice that could be pure as snow or sharp as a razorblade, and a skill for songwriting that was soon to manifest.

It was during her late teens that Andrea discovered who her parents were -- corporate management in Arasaka. In rage, she broke completely from the family, taking the name 'Jazmer' and abandoning her old name. She plunged headfirst into the seedy world of music business.

Playing gigs with a variety of bands, she quickly developed a good rep in the Seattle underground. When a contract deal was offered, she almost took it -- only to be blackmailed by another faction of the record company. After clearing her name with the help of a newfound netrunner friend named Styx, Jazmer decided to record on her own. She had a brief love affair with a fellow musician, but found it difficult to get close to him because of her past. It was a relief when he broke it off, accusing her of seeing someone else.

Her songs have never shied away from the truth, even if they cause disruption. When she accused a local public servant of nothing less than blatant embezzlement, drug-running and prostitution, an enemy was quickly made. The source of the controversy stemmed from an incident in which Jacob Mekare, at the time a police officer in Seattle, had stopped Jazmer's aunt for what he claimed was drunk driving. Mekare then murdered Carolyn Carver in cold blood, later stating that the suspect had tried to flee the scene of crime. Though Carolyn had a blood alcohol level of 0% and was found in her car with the seatbelt on -- with two bullets in her chest, and the resulting blood having stained the seatbelt -- somehow Mekare was let off with a slap on the wrist. Jazmer still follows the politician's career, searching for a way to bring about his downfall.

Soon after, Jazmer stumbled on an old dreadlocked character busking on a street corner. The old Rastafarian became a teacher and mentor to 20-year-old Jazmer, broadening her musical range and technique as well as teaching her about life on the streets -- and life in general.

For the next couple of years, life was quiet. Jazmer continued to play out as often as possible, even scraping up enough money to get some audio equipment and record a demo. She planned to market it herself.

While living on the street, hustling for money and work, Jazmer became addicted to dorphs. Her friend the Rasta intervened and managed to save her life, fortunately, although she did suffer from slight nerve damage. in gratitude, Jazmer dedicated her first record to him.

Another several months of gigging and working passed. Jazmer made connections everywhere she could (and kept up with her old ones, like Styx). One of these was in the mayor's office, where she found someone who hated Jacob Mekare as much as she did. Jazmer also managed to pick up some weapons skills with which to defend herself.

Then, one lovely morning, Jazmer and Styx were out shopping when shots rang out. It quickly became apparent that they were the ones being fired at; the pair escaped, temporarily hiding out at the apartment of Styx's friend Gabriel. Once they made it out of town, they headed for New York.

Jazmer soon abandoned New York for Miami. There, she managed to scrounge living quarters and began to make her mark on the Miami scene. Her music, by now, was finely honed. Much of it dealt with the loss of innocence and the end of childhood: that moment when one's eyes are opened to the harsh reality of the world. This struck a chord with a local fixer and club-frequenter named Coyote.

After one of Jazmer's shows, Coyote introduced himself. By discussing music, he endeared himself to her, and she began to notice him at quite a few of her shows.

Then she was kidnaped by a mediacorp who wanted to make her a "pop star". A week of physical and mental torture, laced with heavy doses of drugs, followed. Fortunately, Coyote soon learned of the kidnaping and hired a group to free her. She was brought to his apartment and allowed to recover in relative peace and quiet. The incident brought the two of them closer.

Jazmer also met Ragnara, Coyote's wife. Both were perceptive women, and dealt with each other in an honest and friendly manner. By this time it was becoming apparent that Coyote had a strong attraction to Jazmer, who held herself aloof almost unintentionally, afraid to delve into a new relationship due to her old scars. Eventually, however, the relationship was consummated.

Jazmer's first CD, self-titled, was released shortly after her arrival in Miami, as she was able to grab the recordings before leaving Seattle. Her second release, Stained Rainbows, came out in 2022 on a private label and is dedicated to Daniel Stele. The success of the first CD has made her name well-known -- and her relationship with Coyote, which is far from secret, has created dozens of tabloid headlines.

She has not been in contact with any of her family since Carolyn's death. As far as she is concerned, they -- and her childhood -- do not exist. She is still a mysterious creature, coming and going as she pleases. Occasionally, an ephemeral sadness will mask her... but it seems that recently, she smiles just a little more often.

this page last updated on 6 january 2005