Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jasmine Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jasmine, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents are humans. They made mistakes and were learning with me as they taught me. But one thing my parents undoubtedly did correctly, was support me in WHOEVER I was or wanted to be. My parents have always made me feel like who I was , was good enough, and I could always be myself. I never felt shame or fear when it came to telling my parents anything. I rarely ever, if ever, felt the need to lie to them. I knew regardless of whatever decisions I made, and whatever consequences I may have had to face, that they would have my back through it all. I see a lot of people struggle with communication in their adult years as a direct result of not being able to do it effectively when they were younger. And I feel for them, because I know everyone has not had the parental experience that I did growing up. This is why I’m so grateful and I thank God everyday for the amazing parents that I have.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

So getting into the industry took time. I spent so many years writing without ever putting anything out. A big part of that was not having access to a studio where I grew up. Also, not really having any knowledge and not knowing where to get it from. I had a STACKS of papers and notebooks full of raps and songs. When I got to college, I met people who also did what I did. They showed me where to find beats and how I would publish my music. My first song was recorded in my homeboys dorm room. It was such a liberating experience, but even then I didn’t know what my sound was and I hadn’t really established myself. It rooms YEARS to get to where I am now, mentally, as an artist. One of my biggest accomplishments was when I recorded the song ‘Ion Wanna Talk’ and posted on social media and like midnight and the post BLEW UP. Like my college booked me to perform it a few weeks later and I was known as the ‘Ion Wanna talk girl’ lol. It was then that I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’ve always loved to bring joy and excitement to other people’s lives so to be able to do that through what I love makes me soo happy. And to the people who support me, thank you. All that love doesn’t go unnoticed and I’m so grateful because I would be on the path I am now had y’all not supported me, shared my music, and showed that love. So again, thank you.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

People. I wish I knew how to network sooner. I’ve always been a people person, so I absolutely love to talk to people. However, earlier in my creative journey, I rarely brought up the fact that I made music. I think a little piece of me was….not necessarily embarrassed, but I didn’t want to go through the awkward looks and questions that some people give you when you tell them you wanna be a rockstar. There have been so many people that I’ve known for years that had no idea I made music, and when they found out they were like ‘oh by the way I own a studio you can come record at for free.’ Lol . A closed mouth doesn’t get fed so I can only be mad at myself! All of that to say, network network network! Talk to the guy standing next to you in the room full of artists. You never know what or who he knows. Talk to the DJ! You never know what events she could put you on. Network!!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The summer before my senior year of college, I had moved out of my place with my roommates but wasn’t in a place financially to move into anywhere else. My hometown was about 3 hours away but one of my best friends from high school lived about 40 minutes away, from my college town. I still worked in my college town so I moved most of my stuff into my friend guest bedroom and would commute to work from there because I HAD to stay close to the city. I knew there were NO musical opportunities for me back home and so I was willing to do what I had to do to keep pushing the artistry. I worked super late nights at my job and I would keep a pillow and blanket in my trunk to sleep in my car on those late nights. I’d crash on some of my college friends couches when I felt like I couldn’t make the drive home. I was houseless, but I wouldn’t say I was homeless. Regardless, I didn’t let that stop me from still chasing the dream and getting to what I know was meant for me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_officialjaxs?igsh=cmkydXpkaTV6bHht&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001133470846&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jaxsnotjaxs?si=kNDvHxd79YC6bHG5
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_officialjaxs?_t=8mwwZ8qy9zK&_r=1