Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Kelly
Hi Jasmine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Jasmine Kelly but my artist name is Jammaz. I am a musician located over in Saint Paul, Minnesota! I’ve been singing professionally for about a year, but have been interested in performing since I was just a lil kiddo.
I grew up surrounded by music. I had parents who had very different tastes in music. I like to think that created a lot of diversity in my music taste. My mom really loved hip hop and R&B while my dad was heavily into classic rock. Of course, like most other musicians, I sang in the car, in my room, and would put on little shows with my neighbor in her basement. We used to play “American Idol”, where we would pretend to be contestants on the show and the other would be a judge. The same neighbor talked me into doing a play with her in 1st grade through Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre, a traveling theatre company that would pop up at schools once or twice a year and would prepare a show within a week. I had participated in their Tom Sawyer show and immediately fell in love with performing. I dabbled in church productions when I was young, but the rush of performing in front of a crowd where I only knew a handful of people was exhilarating. After that, I made it a point to participate in any musical I could possibly audition for at my school. I started to slowly sing in front of other people and saw myself excelling in musicals once I reached Middle School. That was when I officially knew what it was that I wanted to do.
I transferred from public school to a performing arts high school as an attempt to perfect my craft and absolutely loved the process. I would stay after school often to sing in the practice rooms and write music or go over songs I was performing. While I love theatre, school is where I learned that singing was my main priority.
I just put out my first single in April of 2024, titled “Runaway”. It was a song I wrote my senior year of high school and was certain it would remain an idea until chance came around and I met a dear friend and audio engineer who wanted to help produce it a couple years after the song was written. I put out my first EP in July of 2024 titled B.Y.O.J. that contains 6 songs. The process has solidified my admiration for music and has made me love my music and myself all the more.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have been a few bumps along the way. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota where I did not know very many artists, let alone singers who were pursuing their career in music. I often found myself feeling stuck and not sure where to begin. Transferring to a school dedicated to helping artists definitely helped, but it was hard to know what kind of music I wanted to make. I loved all kinds of genres and picking one specific genre seemed very intimidating. I felt the need to put myself in a bubble and pursue whatever was going to be popular, but it wasn’t me anymore.
Most recently, filming my upcoming music video was a rewarding challenge. Getting used to the process of being behind a camera and looking at myself so much was not something I had ever considered doing. It took a lot of adjustment, but it was incredibly fulfilling and I was really lucky and blessed to be working with friends and people who made the process painless. The same goes for the recording process, I have learned an awful lot in regards to it and the amount of time that goes into recording multiple songs.
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 local artist who creates fun music for people to vibe to!
I think what sets me apart from other artists is my creative process and my individual style of music. I like to create whatever I feel like making, even if that means dipping my toes into different genres.
I’m really proud of my music! I’m proud of my perseverance and the time I’ve dedicated to creating my art. I’m incredibly excited for people to listen to my EP and see all the work put into my upcoming music video! I hope you all check it out 🙂
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Creating art that is true to myself and collaborating with other local artists.
I have a lot of gratitude for my friends and chosen family who have encouraged me to stay true to my craft. I can whole heartedly say that I would not be where I am today if I did not have them rooting for me every step of the way!
The music scene here in the Twin Cities is very uplifting, and I am very happy to have met so many wonderful people who have helped me to get to where I am now, and where I am going.
Pricing:
- If you want to support me, you can purchase my music on iTunes and Amazon Music!
- Following me on my social media platforms is FREE 😉
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pajammaz/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jammaz999
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pjammazzz
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HtYZT01uGbjgUukTMABSP
Image Credits
Dakota Rose Photography, Julia Galloway, Tu Pham, and BPMT Studios
