A Musical Theatre and Classical Pop Fusion Shortlisted at the 2026 ISSA Awards
Driving strings, rhythmic percussion and belted vocals carry Carved in Stone. On the single, Norwich artist Jasmine Catherine hands Medusa back her own version of events. It blends musical theatre staging, film-score dynamics and contemporary pop. The track earned a Single Of The Year shortlist at the 2026 ISSA Awards, and it keeps finding listeners since its release on 6 March 2026.
You can listen to our full playlist which contains the artist’s music, and know more about the artist’s work by scrolling down the page.
The Medusa Retelling Behind Carved in Stone
Carved in Stone begins with a simple act of correction. Rather than the version handed down by those in power, Jasmine Catherine writes Medusa’s story as the figure might tell it herself. She turns a cautionary monster into someone with agency and a voice of her own. That framing gives the single its spine. It is an empowering anthem about reclaiming a story, not inheriting someone else’s.
The writing commits to that idea without softening it. Belted vocals push against driving strings and rhythmic percussion. The raw vulnerability the arrangement leaves exposed is the point, not a rough edge to polish away. This is a pop record with the staging instincts of the theatre. It travels between quiet confession and full-voiced defiance in the space of a verse and chorus.
“I wanted to tell Medusa’s story from a different perspective, crafting an anthem that feels both ancient and incredibly modern,” said Jasmine Catherine. “The overwhelming response to ‘Carved in Stone,’ especially the ISSA Awards nominations, has been truly humbling and affirms the power of storytelling through unique musical fusions. It’s exhilarating to know this track, which takes listeners into myths and legends, is finding its place and sparking conversations.”
Carved in Stone Blends Musical Theatre, Classical Strings and Pop
The fusion is the real hook. Jasmine Catherine treats musical theatre, classical writing and contemporary pop as one palette. She moves between them without an obvious seam. Strings do the dramatic lifting a film score would. Percussion keeps a pop pulse running underneath. The vocal carries the melodrama a stage number invites, all without tipping into pastiche.
Listeners who gravitate to Florence and the Machine will recognise the method. Florence Welch stacks percussion and voice until a chorus reaches anthemic scale, and Carved in Stone climbs the same way. Fans of Kate Bush have a closer parallel still. Bush built entire songs from literary and mythological source material. Jasmine Catherine works that same territory here, letting an old myth carry a current argument about who gets to narrate a woman’s life.
From the GetMusic.News curator team: “What sells Carved in Stone is its restraint before the release. The strings and percussion hold back just long enough that the belted chorus makes Medusa’s reclamation feel earned rather than simply declared.”
Who “Carved in Stone” Is For
This is a record for listeners who refuse to pick one genre and stay in it. If your playlists already move between soundtracks, musical theatre, pop and folk, Carved in Stone sits easily among them. It is sophisticated enough for a classical-crossover ear and direct enough for a pop one. The single works everywhere from a renaissance faire to a contemporary film soundtrack, a range that suits its theatrical roots.
There is a folk thread running through the arrangement too. It points toward artists like Hozier, who sets classical and folk playing under literary lyricism without losing a popular audience. Jasmine Catherine shares that ambition. She wants a story-first song that still holds up on radio terms. The track rewards close listening, where the interplay of strings and belted phrasing reveals its structure. It also connects on a first pass, for anyone who simply wants a big, story-driven pop moment.
ISSA Awards Recognition and a Growing Profile
Recognition has followed the release. Carved in Stone earned a Single Of The Year shortlist at the 2026 ISSA Awards. Jasmine Catherine also picked up a Female Emerging Artist nomination at the same ceremony. That pairing marks her as an artist with staying power beyond a single release. For an alternative pop voice working this far outside standard genre lines, the dual recognition signals that the fusion connects well beyond her existing listeners.
Out since 6 March 2026, the single has held attention through the months since. That slow-burn behaviour suits a track built on storytelling rather than one disposable hook. It leaves Jasmine Catherine positioned as an alternative pop artist worth following into whatever myth she reworks next. It also gives newcomers an easy way into a catalogue that treats old stories as live material.
Where to Hear Jasmine Catherine
Stream Carved in Stone on Spotify, Tidal, Amazon Music and Deezer. Browse her wider catalogue on Apple Music and YouTube Music. You can also follow Jasmine Catherine across Instagram, TikTok and her YouTube channel. More on the artist is available at her official site.
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