Exclusive Interview: Magic, Fandom, and Music with Jade Hassouné

Few things are worth getting up at 6 am for, but Jade Hassouné is definitely one of them. The actor, singer, songwriter was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for his powerful performance as Sam – an up-and-coming DJ who struggles with loss and addiction – in That’s My DJ. But fans of the recently-canceled cult sensation Shadowhunters know him as the ever-cryptic seelie knight Meliorn.

I’ve just had my second cup of coffee, and sit down to chat with Jade about magic, music, and his close connection with the Shadowhunters fandom.

Do you believe in magic or the supernatural?

I absolutely believe in it. It’s actually all I think about, and all I’m interested in sort of researching and reading about is everything that is considered ‘supernatural.’ I like to think of it as natural because I find that we, as humans – as beings – we have all these abilities and extrasensory ways of perceiving that we haven’t explored.  I think all those things are natural for us; things like telepathy, astral projection, communication with other dimensions – I think we naturally do that every single day. A good example of a daily aspect of that is when you are thinking about someone and then they call you at that exact moment. [These things] are supernatural to us only because we don’t really use them that much, but I think that we all have those abilities and some people have them more than others. The word ‘supernatural’ makes it sort of a mystical thing – which I adore because I’m all about magic and things like that – but it’s really totally natural.

But the answer is ‘yes.’ I’m constantly researching about that stuff, and thinking about it. Everything is about frequency and consciousness, and we perceive this world as a physical world, but it’s not really that physical. So just starting there, it opens it up to infinity, because [since we are] just vibrating energy, anything is possible.

I was also very interested in magic spells and things like that when I was a teen, and so I’ve had my share of exploring that stuff.

Do you have a mundane superpower? For example, I’m amazing at parallel parking. I can have just an inch in front of my car every time… It’s absolutely a magical ability.

[Laughs] I am so good at parallel parking. I love that you said that.

When people aren’t good at it, it stresses me out!

That’s one of mine, for sure. Another one, I guess, would be I’m really amazing at cooking eggs. Like, I’ve got an egg skill…I’m an ‘eggist.’ I can give it to you perfectly how you want, at its exact liquid form or exact crispiness… Anything that you want, I’m really good at it.

Can you talk a little bit about Love Letter to a Fandom and your songwriting process?

I’m so excited to tell you about this. Right now, this is all I’m breathing, eating, sleeping, 24 hours a day, every single second of every day right now, for the last two months at least.

Last summer, I went on tour for the [Shadowhunters] conventions which started in Paris in June. I stayed in Europe for about two months and I went all over the place. And in between, I went to a web festival for That’s My DJ, so it was sort of a combination of Shadowhunters and That’s My DJ.

And [everywhere I went] fans were so supportive… They were at the airport; they were everywhere. The support that I felt…it was like dreams that I had had my entire teenage life and now I was living them. The connection with the fans is something that is very special and very alive; and that’s the source of my life changing, really. Because even if we were on a different very successful show, most shows don’t have a fandom like [ours does]. It’s so special and rare to have that… For actors, that is extremely special.

So, I’m touring the world and I can’t believe that I’m going to all these places, meeting fans in the streets all over the world, and other amazing people at festivals, conventions…meeting different, beautiful people that you fall in love with everywhere, every day. And I had such an epic summer that it just sparked all these incredible emotions in me. By the end of my tour, I’m leaving and I’m crying from joy but also sadness at the same time. When I came back home, there was a period of a week where I just wrote five or six songs which are the songs that I’m now putting on my album. It was just like this burst of creativity; I rarely write songs that effortlessly. I just had this burst of inspiration and everything came out.

[I thought], ‘Now is the time. Look at this incredible ocean of love that is happening around you. If you don’t do this now, Jade, you’re gonna regret it forever.’ So I went full-on. I’m working with one of my best friends who is a brilliant producer. I was already working on music, but I came with this new spark and inspiration that was fueled by this whole summer. And that’s it, that’s the ‘love letter,’ because I talk about everything – you know, touring and this new beautiful life I have because of the fans. Because if there were no fans – even if our show was super successful and [on a big network] – there would be no connection here. The fans are the ones who have changed my life. The show is big because of the fans. It’s the fans who did it, really, truly.

People who aren’t part of a fandom don’t get it. They don’t get that love that you are describing. It’s not just about loving a show. It’s about so much more – it’s connection and dedication; it’s creativity…

The creativity is so incredible. I’m blown away by the art and the passion and the time put into all of this. And I was one of them… I was a hardcore [Buffy The Vampire Slayer] fan; I was part of the fandom. But there was no Twitter back then and there was no way for me to connect to it. And I’m seeing all these fans who are meeting each other at conventions…

What I’m trying to remind everyone is that this is all actually a new beginning, a sort of metaphoric rebirth. Without letting go of anything – I’m not dismissing it – I’m wanting to be a vehicle to help keep what we’ve built; continuing to build on it and creating a new, bright, joyful, hopeful future. The strength and power and beauty of this fantastic thing we all have – this network across the globe – it will last forever. Nothing is going anywhere; we are going to stay. [Shadowhunters] conventions are going to continue, the fandom is going to continue. It’s just going to grow from there. And we also have a whole half season left, so…

One of the things that I think really resonates with fans of Shadowhunters is this aspect of ‘representation.’ Do you feel a responsibility as an actor – with the roles you take and in how outspoken you are – to help add to this conversation?

Absolutely. I really do feel like it’s my responsibility with the platform that I have to not be silent about stuff and to always be who I am and to stand proud. It’s a fine balance of not letting a label sort of mimic who you are but also holding it proudly – yes, I am in the LGBTQ+ community, I am a queer person, I am all of this. What matters is that you are a joyful human being, that you are aligned with who you are, and that’s what should be celebrated. It’s time to not just ‘accept.’ Look around – there’s all kinds of people, all kinds of humans out there, in all colors and shapes, and that’s what makes this place so interesting. Be who you are, stand tall, be joyful, and take joy in how we make a difference. And I am very, very lucky that this fandom is so LGBTQ+ strong – because of  ‘Malec’; that’s the strongest story – so that’s been fantastic to just be embraced by that.

If I was quiet, it wouldn’t be helpful, so I’ll always speak up… And it’ll never be aggressive; it’ll always just be a celebration and a joyful pride.

I like to think that actors take something away with them after each role. What did you take away from portraying Sam on That’s My DJ? And what do you take away from playing Meliorn on Shadowhunters?

Sam showed me that there’s always a light at the end of whatever dark tunnel you are in. He has also shown me the focus it takes to create stuff. It’s funny that now that I’m in the crazy process of [finishing my album], I’m glad I went through That’s My DJ ‘cause I’m kind of doing the same thing right now – but without the drug spiral [laughs]. But the focus, the going into a bubble and being a hermit with your creation…I definitely have jumped back into that mode that I was in when I shot that almost three years ago.

With Meliorn, it’s interesting because we are very similar in a lot of ways. We’re both connected to nature and sort of chill and go-with-the-flow, being quiet when you don’t have to say anything and assessing what is going on around you. It definitely has helped me in interviews because I can’t reveal everything but I still have to be somewhat intriguing. He has taught me things like independence, in a way…especially in this last season. He’s lost all form of his own path because the Queen has been influencing his decisions to the point where it’s like, ‘What are you doing, Meliorn? These people are your friends.’

You’ll see in [Season] 3B a shift back to his own independence, which has inspired me to do things the way I want, in terms of my own career and my own life. One of my lyrics [from ‘Love Letter To A Fandom’] is: ‘Sometimes you just gotta do it how you want,’ and that’s been my whole thing right now. I’m not waiting for something else that’s big to come along, I’m creating my own thing that’s coming along. I’m creating this vision I have for the future and I’m going to do it my way.

Is that what success looks like to you?

Absolutely. Success is, for me, joy. And when do you feel the most joy? When you align with that vision of yourself, with the most potential. Well-being, health, abundance, laughter, dreams come true…all of that stuff comes when you follow that inner desire, that inner passion that you’ve always had. And little steps toward it every day opens beautiful things up. You’ll realize that, ‘Oh my God, this is not just me. I’ve got a whole universe backing me up, bringing people into my life, beautiful coincidences…’ You are so supported and the more you follow that inner guidance, the more you’ll see the evidence of that in your daily life.

I’m not saying it has to be a giant dream like becoming something huge; it’s about what brings you joy. If your joy is to live with your cat and to live a quiet life, then that’s what you want, because that will bring you the most fulfillment. Everyone has their own path; there is no map.

Is there a type of role that you would love to do?

It’s funny because playing an elf – or a seelie – was always something I’d wanted to do. I’ve said it before, and so it’s kind of crazy that that’s what happened and it was part of my journey.

But I’d love to play a being from a different dimension – I mean, that’s what Meliorn is – but a space being or an alien entity would be fun. I’d love to play a pharaoh or something from ancient times…a previous civilization, like ancient Egypt or Atlantis or something. Like, some sort of leader of an ancient civilization. That would be amazing.

It sounds like you don’t want to play sort of ‘everyday’ roles, like a banker or a lawyer?

Yeah, I don’t want to play a doctor, unless…unless it’s a really interesting or inspiring role.

…Or an alien doctor?

[Laughs] I like keeping life magical, and the mundane world, for me, is not reality. If you look at nature, it’s so mystical. Look at the colors, the animals, the beauty of nature, and then look at our human world – it’s very different; grey and lifeless almost. Except for us – we are the light in it. I see us as colorful, flowing, energetic creators, and grey concrete is the opposite of that. And so, a show about that sort of ‘fake’ reality is not interesting to me. I want to inspire and be part of a world that’s beyond this one. I don’t want to remind people about how mundane life can be; that’s not my goal.

---

Shadowhunters returns February 25th on Freeform. Love Letter to a Fandom comes out June, 9th 2019.