PERFORMANCE @ CIELO NYC

Last week on Wed, August 17th, I was introduced as a special surprise guest for Producer/DJ Franke Estevez, at club CIELO located in the meat packing district of NYC to perform my new single, Free My Spirit, during his birthday celebration.

The crowd was amazing! As always, Wednesday nights are notorious for the die hard following that Producer/DJ Little Louie Vega has created, naming it "A Roots Party". Everyone knows, (especially house heads) that Wednesday nights are the best nights to get your dance on. As a result, I caught butterflies in my belly before I actually got on the mic and sang. Once I got behind the DJ booth and saw that huge crowd dancing - some of them tourists from around the world and some of them NYC locals - I conditioned myself to keep thinking, I got this! I'm a diva! What made it a little easier for me was when I told myself that one day I'd be singing in even bigger places than this - like Madison Square Garden, because if there are stars out there already doing it, then I can do it too! I just had to believe that I was already BIG.

I don't know how I pushed through the fear, but I did. Maybe there was some sense of safety since I stood behind the booth and couldn't see the audiences facial expressions to tell if whether people enjoyed it or not. Not before long, a swarm of curious onlookers surrounded the booth and lifted their cameras and iPhones up to video tape my performance. That's when my courage boosted! Thank god! Because I busted out a few high notes and had to have the balls to sing with real feeling & emotion.

Actress Sharon Stone & Artist Jasmine Clemente

Afterwards, the night was topped off when Actress, Sharon Stone, (Basic Instinct / TriStar Pictures) complimented me on my performance and actually asked me to sing twice! I was beyond flattered! Here I was hoping to do a great job for the club's audience, and surprise-surprise, a Hollywood Actress walks in, appreciating my talent with a major applause! Not bad for my first performance at Ceilo. I must say, I'm looking forward to the future! Dreams do come true.

FREE MY SPIRIT available for download now!

Fuzion feat. Jasmine Clemente - Free My Spirit - Traxsource.com - Download Underground House and Electronic Music in WAV and MP3 format

Music Video Feature

Yesterday on Saturday, August 14th, I was featured in a hip hop music video directed by Exile Ramirez that took place in a secluded loft tucked away in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Back in the 90's, I was a huge hip hop fan but after the tragic death of 2 Pac & Biggie Smalls followed by the music's content which became more and more violent, I began to lose interest. However, despite my previous judgments on hip hop, I enjoyed being on set with an up & coming hip hop Artist named SeeS for his new video, BANG BANG! Now I know what you're all thinking... The title sounds like the song is about busting caps, murking nicca's and doing drive by shootings but it's not! It's actually about achieving financial prosperity. And although hip hop has been stigmatized for promoting bling-bling, this video didn't reak a thing of superficialness. It basically expounded on the American Dream, promoting that sky is the limit when you work for what you want. Who can't relate to that?

Hence, I enjoyed my time on set, especially since the vibe of the whole cast and crew was so warm and down to earth. In the past when I was featured in other hip hop videos (who's artist will remain nameless) I had felt disrespected by the way some of the rappers spoke to the females on set, as if they should run to them and bow down to their every command. But not these guys, SeeS and Fantom; they were confident enough to deliver a stellar performance and even personally thanked all of the members for their patience, hard work and willingness to commit to staying on set from 3PM until 1:30AM. Now that's what I call a crew of professionals who showed appreciation for every detail that went into creating the finished product.

On set with...

Actor Doug Drucker & Artist Jasmine Clemente

Artist Muse & Artist Jasmine Clemente
(Check out her upper back Tattoo of the Egyptian Feline Deity Bastet)

Actress Chrissy Stewart & Artist Jasmine Clemente

PAID ARTIST'S VS STRUGGLING ARTIST'S

There are many stages to an Artist's career. The first is when you have the desire to create whether it's a song, a picture, a script, etc. And usually it's considered a hobby when you're doing it just for fun. But something happens...

As you delve into the arena of your soul, allowing your talents and gifts to emerge by taking action by bringing it from the imagination into the physical realm, you suddenly notice your skills getting better and better as time goes by. Either your vocal cords get stronger, your drawings get more detailed, or your script dialogue gets more emotional, etc. Then you realize that maybe this is something you should do for a living because you want to spend more time on it - like full time, instead of part time.

But how do you take that leap from leaving your day job, into having an artistic career that you can pay the bills with and even more so, prosper magnificently from? The answer: PAPER WORK.

I'm sure that most of you have heard many successful Artists admit to getting jerked in the beginning of their careers. Either they didn't get enough royalties, percentage, points, and/or proper credit for their idea. Thus, they may have had a hit single and/or appeared in a blockbuster movie but was still existing as a struggling artist, just scraping by to make ends meet. As a result they go back to waiting tables, getting an odd job, or room mating with 3 or 4 other struggling artists to share the cost of living expenses. Well... with that being said, it is extremely important to learn the BUSINESS if you are indeed  planning a career in SHOW BUSINESS.

The thing is, if you don't do your homework by reading books such as ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Written by Donald S. Passman, THE PLAIN AND SIMPLE GUIDE TO MUSIC PUBLISHING: What you need to know about protecting, and profiting from music copywrights Written by Randall Wixen, and, ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOVIE AND TV BUSINESS Written by Gail Resnik and Scott Trost amongst many others, then you won't build the stamina to sustain a promising career that will allow you to never have to go back to having a day job again. Nothing against having a day job, but if you want to truly be successful as an Artist, it doesn't have to remain a hobby forever!   

SPIRITUAL CENTER

Yesterday on August 4th, I participated in a New Years Day celebration given by BRAHMA KUMARIS: World Organization which marked the beginning of the "turning over a new leaf" in one's life. The purpose of coming together in the middle of summer, (different from American's who celebrate the countdown on December 31st) is to listen to our spiritual guide speak about the wisdom of universal love.

In the heart of Midtown Manhattan at Subud Center, (www.subudnewyork.org) about fifty people sat in a tranquil open space meditating with the help of our guide directing us to silence our talkative minds. Speaking in detail, she told us to put our thoughts about work, relationships, finances, troubles, wants and desires away in a briefcase and lock them up. And when we feel the need to go back into our briefcase and reopen it, leave it there, be still, and just breathe. The goal for this exercise - achieve clarity.

After she had our full attention, she stated that the beauty of God is that all of his children come from different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, cultures and walks of life, and yet still we are all one because behind the costume of our bodies, we emanate from his spirit which is love, truth, abundance and peace.

Finally, one by one, we all took turns walking up to the alter where we each received a ribbon tied around our wrists to symbolize our spiritual connection to each other in this circle of life. But that's not all! We even received separate blessings similar to fortune cookies except that these truly touch the heart. Mine says:

You have the ability to see the value of every  moment, the power of every thought, and the beauty of every soul.

Writing A First Novel

Now that we're in the month of August, it marks an entire year and a half that I've been writing my first novel. And while it is practically finished, I've been taking some time to do some final draft editing before sending it off to my publishers. If you also have the desire to write a story but don't know where to start, here are a few tips I'm happy to share!

• Pick a topic you're passionate about, be it romance, mystery, drama, horror, etc.
• Don't worry about it making sense at first. Just write down all of your ideas, feelings, thoughts and freestyle!
• After you scribbled down notes sporadically, the next step is to start getting your thoughts in order by actually creating a system. 
• Get a new notebook. At the top of each page, write the name of each character with a list of their characteristics below. Include their gender, age, ethnicity, occupation, and be specific about their physical appearances. Does one woman have a visible mole on her face like Marilyn Monroe? Another have a short, boy hair cut like Halle Berry? Write the details. 
• Give each character a phrase that they repeatedly say in their dialogue such as, "Trust Me," or "I A'int the one," or like Carrie always says from Sex in The City, "I couldn't help but wonder."
• In the middle of your notebook, put a yellow post-it sticky to mark the next section where you're going to doodle conflicts between your main characters. Play with your imagination and don't think that anything is too crazy! In fact, the crazier, the better! 

Hopefully, these tips helped. I know that writing is key to completing a novel but many times a lot of us get stuck day dreaming about it because we're not sure of how to do it correctly. It's normal to be fearful but don't let it paralyze you into non-action. It's also good to read books such as, "Writing A Novel for Dummies", etc. But you should be writing first and then reading afterwards, just to see how closely you're matching the format of story telling in a way that makes sense.

Okay well, Phew! I must say, it feels really good to finally finish my first story. Ladies & Gents, writing a book is not simple and yet it is simple. Why? Because it all starts with writing! If you can write an article, a letter - anything at all, then you can write a book. So start writing and the rest will come naturally. Also, make sure to hang out with other writers; it's imperative that you do! Your social circle will feed your motivation and continue to remind you of who you want to become and how you're going to do it. Good luck!

MY POSEIDON: A Poem

Sinking into the cushion of your understanding,
I lost all sense of logic, forgetting why I was so angry
Your warrior-like compassion burned through every illusion
that I imprisoned myself to believe
until you unlocked me
turning my fate for the better like a sorcerer of the seas,
you commanded the upheaval of my emotions to be released
so I could become free

Tender, soft, yet strong, you held on tight to the treasure you discovered
Me, the pearl without an oyster who needed your shelter
How did you find me in such stormy weather?
Oh yes, because as you cruised through misty fog, navigating through hailing sins,
getting smacked down by tidal waves of rejections,
your heart pumped oxygen made of stardust, illuminating your inner compass
with kinetic inspiration
so you'd never forget where you really came from and what you're truly made of

Focused, nothing could cloud your vision
You've been on a mission but needed your Misses to cross the ocean of differences
Sharks tested your strength as they did mine
My heart bleeding from a loss of faith, I gave up the fight
And yet there you were, taller than a tower,
your light beaming from the heights of your third eye
finding me amidst the darkness of the night,
Drowning in sadness, twirling in a whirlpool of oblivion,
I tried to find balance between the mind, body and spirit,
but had no luck until our two worlds collided,
like a mermaid transforming into a woman with legs,
You then led me into a garden where I could eat the fruits of wisdom
their seeds sprouting through my lips when I began to speak,
uttering positivity, affirming miraculous healing
so that others who were once lost like me can finally see
the true potential that we all could reach

The moon then began to giggle as we kissed underneath the stars,
bestowing its glow upon our Venus and Mars
planetary movements, nebula explorations,
heaven's gates joyously swinging open, the angels celebrating our majestic union
Due to your freewill to act as a soldier of love,
You've infused the goddess within me to reactivate my blueprint
so I can too, like you, offer a universal love

Written by Jasmine Clemente

QUEEN: A Poem

It is time for you to fearlessly

venture out like a lioness who owns her self-esteem

In the concrete jungle of dillusionary dreams

Be the real thing,
The sure deal,
A challenging match that will bring even a king to his knees

Let your very presence
Be so magnetic

that you suck in the darkness, spitting it back out into pieces,

shattering it's miniature armies of demonic forces

due to your illuminating presence

which blinds them,
Thus,
Transpires them

Into a healing existence,
Like the dove after war,
Peace reigns within your majesty

You can do this, for you are a QUEEN

A warrior of light
Fulfilling a higher purpose,

A human being,
An angel,
A compassionate soul

who recognizes the spirit that dwells behind the ego,

waiting to be released - freedom

is your middle name,
It is the essence in which you rest in

To be reawakened

To its tranquility

like a breeze in the tropics, you thrive in the suns vitality,

Too powerful not to shine,
you spread your rays of light

For if someone double crosses you,
you will burn even more bright!

Let them cause their own demise for not accepting your truth

With your prophetical tongue,
Casting spells, bestowing blessings,
Speaking beautiful revelations to occur

For you are a QUEEN

A QUEEN who loves boldly beyond reason,
Beyond logic,
Beyond needs,

Don't apologize or think this is weak,

For you are fiercely courageous to reveal such awe striking sensitivity

This is the heart and soul of a woman's natural state of divinity

Be that woman of glory!
For you are a QUEEN