Singer-songwriter and rapper the one named Jasmine makes music that touches your soul. Born in 1994, in Brooklyn NY, the one named Jasmine began honing her vocal gifts in church choirs. By her teens, she was attending performing arts school and performing at Carnegie Hall.
A traumatic upbringing inspired her to change her name and begin channeling her feelings through music. She is now releasing music independently with her first single “Down Bad.”
With “Unfortunate” out now, we took some time to hear from the one named Jasmine. Read below to learn more about the one named Jasmine, the story behind “Unfortunate,” and what’s to come.
Hi the one named Jasmine! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?
Believe it or not, you’re the first person to ask me this question. The name just came to me one day. People don’t tend to see me as human. To them, I’m an object—something to be dissected and picked apart. By having my artist name in third person, I am reclaiming my identity and allowing those that are curious about me to learn about me through my art.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I’m from Brooklyn, NY, but right now I am based in Los Angeles.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
I’ve always been involved in music in some sort of fashion, but I didn’t decide to do it professionally until mid 2024. I had a revelation that pursuing my creative passions was my calling, so I took the leap.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?
I describe my sound as an authentic expression of my lived experience, bold in expression, yet relatable in terms of complex emotions. My music is guaranteed to take you on a journey and tap into your innermost emotions.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
I love to read. Reading helps me to keep my mind active, expand my language and knowledge of theories that I can use for wordplay.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder, and Usher.
Who is your dream music collaboration?
I would love to produce a song with Stevie Wonder. His musical style and songwriting technique has heavily influenced my musicianship, so it would be an honor.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
Releasing my first EP. There was a point on this journey that I thought it would never come out, so the fact that it’s out and being well received is something that I’m proud of.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
I’ve learned to always trust myself and to not let someone smiling in my face trick me into thinking they have my best interests at heart. Some people in this industry are great actors, but I’m the playwright.
Now onto your release, “Unfortunate.” What inspired this song? What is “Unfortunate” about?
“Unfortunate” is a diss track at someone that I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of interacting with. For whatever reason, their main goal in life is to make my life hell, so I had to get some things off my chest.
What was the creative process like when making “Unfortunate?”
It was tricky. I had so much to say that I couldn’t fit into the song due to the length of the beat. I also had to cut some things out because they were too mean. Once I heard the beat, the lyrics just flowed to me, and I knew I had to put this out.
How long did it take to complete “Unfortunate?”
If we’re counting the time it took to edit, it took me about a week or two. I usually write my songs in bits and pieces when they come to me, but once I got the hook of this song down, I couldn’t stop revisiting it until it was perfect.
What is your favorite lyric in “Unfortunate” and why?
It’s a tie between “Crawl on your belly and eat dust for the rest of your life” and “You’ll have your day in the light…you not Josh Hartnett and I ain’t Mekhi Phifer.”
The first line is taken directly from the Bible. It’s the decree that God gave to the serpent after he deceived Eve and led to the fall of mankind. I give that same decree to the individual this song is about. Since they have tried to play God in my life, I (the God of my own life) are casting them down to their rightful place for attempting to lead to the destruction of my own life.
The second quote is a reference to Othello and O, a movie based on the play, Othello. “You’ll have your day in the light” is a misattributed quote from the Shakespeare play. It was never actually said, but somehow gained popularity as a quote from the play. I incorporated this line into the song for that very reason. The person this song is about spread many misattributed quotes and lies about me to anyone willing to listen. In the movie, O, the antagonist Hugo (played by Josh Hartnett) enacts a conniving plan to destroy Odin’s life (Odin is played by Mekhi Phifer) due to jealousy. By the end of the film, Odin kills himself. The line from my song makes a clear statement that the person that this song is about will not receive the same satisfactory ending to their plan that Josh Hartnett’s character did. This isn’t that.
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “Unfortunate?”
So, “Unfortunate” was originally supposed to be on my EP, Everything Is Not What It Seems. At the last minute, I pulled it and decided to release it as a single because I felt it disrupted the flow of the EP. Since the song has a darker tone, I made the image black and white.
What message or messages do you hope fans take away from “Unfortunate” and your music in general?
Always stand up for yourself – even if you’re the only one doing it.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
I’ve been writing more music for my next project and doing pop up appearances throughout Los Angeles. I hope to do a show soon, but nothing is set in stone. Keep up with me at theonenamedJasmine.com for announcements.
Where can we follow you on social media?
You can follow me on theses platforms:
Instagram: @iamtheonenamedjasmine
Twitter/X: @theonenamedjas
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theonenamedjasmine
TikTok: @theonenamedjasmine
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
