Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine.
Hi Jasmine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story has been anything but linear and in many ways, I’m still trying to figure out how I got here. It’s been an adventure for sure. So let’s see, where to start?
I was always into music growing up. I took piano lessons from an early age and played clarinet in the school band, but singing really came later. I sang in church here and there, but I wasn’t really a choir kid. I would secretly write songs in my room and record myself on cassette, but I never played it for anyone, so most people didn’t know me for singing back then. That started to change senior year of high school. One of the first times I ever performed solo out loud was for a pageant, of all things. And for the talent portion, I played guitar (something else I’d been working on secretly in my room) and sang Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why.” Long story short, I won the pageant and that was maybe the first time I felt like this was something I could do.
Fast forward to college through my 20s, that’s when I started to explore music more as a vocalist. I was part of an a cappella group in undergrad (shoutout to Harvard KeyChange!) and then I was living in New York and sang background for a few local acts. I was even in a short lived cover band with a friend for a little while. We performed exactly one show at a dive bar in East Village, but neither of us had the bandwidth to really take it further.
By the time I moved to Atlanta a few years later, I wasn’t even doing music as a hobby anymore. It had fully taken a backseat while I was trying to excel at my “real job” and build a stable career for myself.
Then 2020 hit. I spent a year holed up inside, and like a lot of people, I was going through this existential crisis like “What am I doing with my life? Is this how I’m going to spend my days forever and ever?” Just you know, questioning everything and trying not to lose my grip on reality.
Then a lot of things just sort of found me over the next few years, almost like magic, and brought me back to music in a much more serious way. I could go on for a while explaining the full story, so I’ll try to condense it to the highlights.
In 2020, I impulse bought an electric piano and started re-learning how to play. Around the same time, I got served an Instagram ad for a master class style vocal course led by Stevie Mackey. I started posting snippets of my singing and it became a fun creative outlet.
Then in 2021, I got this dream opportunity to go to Hawaii and spend time with an artist collective that a friend was hosting there. I was supposed to be there for three weeks, ended up staying three months. There’s a much longer story here, but suffice it to say, spending that summer surrounded by creatives changed everything.
By 2022, I was doing the whole digital nomad thing and kept fanning the creative spark throughout my travels. I got served another Instagram ad (the algorithm really had me!) for a songwriting course led by H.E.R. I signed up for that and started writing original songs for the first time since my teenage years.
In 2023, I took the demos I recorded from that songwriting class and applied for a songwriting camp with ATL Collective. It felt like a long shot, but I’m so glad I went for it because I got in and that experience pretty much rewired my brain. I was in the studio with two other writers and one producer. I had no idea what to expect, but in two and a half days, we wrote and recorded four whole songs. And they were really good songs! That blew my mind.
By the end of that week, I was ready to take myself seriously as a songwriter and as a singer. I started performing at jam sessions and open mics around the city. I kept building relationships with more artists, musicians, producers, mentors, and supporters. I did more writing on my own and started recording demos for the songs that would eventually go onto my first EP. I made a plan to leave my corporate job to make more space to pursue a creative career full time, which felt completely nuts at the time. And still does if I’m being honest!
I released the EP, Note To Self in 2024 and then it was like, “Okay, now what?” So this has been a year of experimenting and figuring out how to grow my career as a full-time artist. I’ve been performing a lot more, everything from intimate concerts to weddings and corporate events. I’ve been collaborating with other artists, doing even more writing, and preparing to start working on my next project.
So that’s where we are now. You’re witnessing the process, seeing me figuring this thing out in real time, and doing my best to share the journey as I go.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but I wouldn’t say it’s been rough either. It’s just been life. There have definitely been some missteps, things I thought would pan out one way and then totally went left. There have been some opportunities where I thought I was ready to jump all the way in, but I stumbled or hesitated, so the opportunity passed me by. And I had to make peace with that. I decided to learn from it rather than stay bitter about it.
And there’s been some challenge in figuring out the balance of doing gigs for low or no pay because I want the experience and the exposure, or I just want to be part of the project for whatever reason. But also having to negotiate or say no a lot because we are professionals doing this for a living, and it devalues the work for everyone when you set a precedent that you’ll basically work for free.
So yes, that’s been the biggest challenge or learning curve for me so far. Knowing how to value my work, deciding when to push and negotiate on rates, or when to accept the trade-offs now for bigger returns down the line. But sometimes, it’s just a matter of being realistic about what I need to do to be able to sustain doing what I love without burning out. I’ve been down that road before and I definitely do not want to go there again.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a singer-songwriter with an indie-soul vibe. I write music that feels like journal entries put to melody, or the quiet conversations you have with yourself being sung out loud. Sonically, I’m known for my rich vocal textures and layered harmonies. It just wraps around you like a warm blanket. At least that’s my hope. Lyrically, I’m very much a storyteller with a flair for the poetic. I had a friend describe my music as theatrical and I think that fits, too, because I’m dropping you into a whole world with my songs. If you close your eyes, you can see the characters, the stage, the storyline. All of it comes through the music.
Something I’m especially proud of is producing and releasing my first EP, Note To Self, with very little experience recording music professionally. I had a notebook full of songs, a hard drive filled with voice notes and GarageBand demos, and no idea what to do next. But I leaned on connections I made through jam sessions and networking events to figure out the process and just took it step by step from there. The songs on that project are so personal and just a few years ago, I don’t think I could have been open and vulnerable enough to even talk about them out loud. So seeing the growth I had personally, creatively, and professionally just from committing to bringing this project to life is really special.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Go outside! We’re in a time where so many of our day-to-day interactions happen online, on social media. And that has its place for sure. But the biggest game changer for me breaking into music has been going outside! Going to shows and supporting fellow artists, participating in jam sessions and open mics, signing up for songwriting camps and industry events. Every collaborator and mentor who has helped me on my journey thus far came as a result of just being on the scene and making the effort to meet people and connect in a real, human way.
And let me add a little emphasis on the “real” and “human” part here. When I show up in these spaces, I’m showing up as Jasmine first. You get Jasmine first. Sharing my energy and my personality. Making conversation, showing interest in others. Having fun and just being pleasant to be around. You’ll see me doing my thing too, on stage or in the studio, whatever it may be. But I’m showing up consistently to be part of the experience and part of the community, not just to flex and pitch myself and figure out who can do what for me.
Letting those connections grow organically has gone a long way. I’ve gotten gigs, referrals, and all kinds of opportunities just from being someone who kept showing up. People who I didn’t even realize were watching have made introductions for me or offered resources simply because of how I show up.
So that’s my advice. Get outside! Be open! Be fun! Find your people and make it easy for your people to find you. In a place like Atlanta where there is a scene for whatever you’re into creatively, you don’t want to skip out on the in-person connection.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jasminejanaye.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyjasminejanaye
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heyjasminejanaye
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1qjGVY6KDsuLdYKAAiBWGg
- Other: https://tidal.com/album/397183089/u
Image Credits
Photo #2 – Kareem “K. WUD” Yearwood, Poetic Jazz
Photo #3 – Carol Lee Rose
