PHUSION: A Collective Vibe

This past Friday night, I hosted an amazing event coordinated by Phusion: A Collective Vibe at The Sullivan Room in NYC. (Khahim & Carmela in partnership) The following DJ's were Yuko, Hallex M, Duce Martinez, and Karizma. Now... when I tell you this party was off the hook - it was STUPENDOUSLY AMAZING!!! Why? Because there was a SPIRIT IN THE BUILDING...

Jasmine Clemente & Khahim

What I mean by that is, the energy amongst the people was on such a high frequency that everyone felt it. Contagious, contagious, contagious! No one was exempt from it. A few times during the evening, individuals took turns jumping into the middle of a group circle to show off their dancing skills - and there were no egotistic dance battles going on because most people felt comfortable enough to get a chance in the spotlight. In fact, one dude even did a summer salt in the air. That was a moment!

Then I gave a surprise vocal performance, singing "Free My Spirit", which was the perfect anthem of the night. Indeed, confidence ruled the room. You wanna talk about freedom? All kinds of stresses were released that night! People shook off their burdens and left the drama at the door. With all the cameras shooting, video lights glaring and smiles stretching, it was obvious that everyone had a great time. Until next time, I was happy to perform for such a positive event. Thus, there were at least 4 different artists painting pictures on drawing boards throughout the club, plus an all female dance crew named MAWU gave an amazing spectacle of a show.

Jasmine Clemente performing Free My Spirit

Chino of Duce is Wild Ent & Jasmine Clemente

RECORD LABEL LAUNCH

This past Sunday I joined Gladys Pizzaro (Cofounder of Strictly Rhythm and founder of Launch Entertainment) to her record label release party at XVI Rooftop Lounge in NYC. When I tell you that this party was amazing, it was AMAZING!!! 

It's funny how things flow in the universe. I met Gladys through a friend/life coach of mine named Noreen Sumpter. I've known Noreen for about five years now, and I must say, I never would've thought that five years later she'd be introducing me to such a great connection. This is why I stress how important nourishing great relationships are. Entertainment is a social business, so the more people you know the better. HOWEVER! When maturing, one must be selective of the company they keep. Birds of a feather flock together. It's true! So be a positive person who attracts positive people that will support & encourage your success, thus, add value to your life such as connecting you with the right people.

What I love even more is that although I attended this record label launch party and mingled with other creative professionals, everyone danced their asses off! I can't remember the last time I went to an industry event where every celebrity said, "Fuck what I look like tonight! I'm getting my dance on!" and allowed their make up to run, and their hair to frizz while they worked up a sweat. Yes, it was that kind of party! Good Times!

(Singer) Jasmine Clemente, (Founder) Gladys Pizzaro, (Producer) Oscar P.

So let's see what happens next... As I journey through this road to success, I report the high's and low's as they come. And thank god, this entry was one of the best ones to post since I had such an amazing time in a great environment.

Don't Let AGE Rule Your World.

When it rains, it pours... And you know what they say about April Showers! April rain brings in the May flowers. Well, I'm happy to say that it's been one blessing after another this month, with endless opportunities presenting themselves to me. Now, I must admit that I believe the reason for this streak of good luck has to do with me maintaining a child's optimistic outlook on life. Despite the fact that I'm thirty years old, I still choose to believe that anything is possible. I still hustle like I'm 21 years old, I still believe that I have my whole life ahead of me, I'm still curious about exploring all 4 corners of the world, and I still dress for success like I'm young & sexy - because I am! 

I encourage women to break out of the box! Especially when it comes to hearing these stereo types of how women should tone it down after a certain age. Oh please! Do you see Halle Berry or Jennifer Lopez letting themselves go after 40? No! In fact, some of these hot mamacitas look more stunning as they evolve then when they were younger. Now, some people might think that due to a celebrities bank account and professional marketing team that, that is the reason for their good looks. But I say it has more to do with the actual individual who's allowing all of this to happen.  (I mean, Whitney  Houston didn't look so great during her marriage to Bobby Brown regardless of her fortune.) Stress is stress! And it shows just the same on everyone! Regardless of what profession one has, (Teacher, Lawyer, Executive Assistant, Writer, Secretary, Nurse, Air Flight Attendant, etc) we have a choice as to whether or not we're going to continue exercising our vitality and zest for life, or throw our wonder-woman capes down  and settle for mediocrity. I say take a chance! I say break the rules! I say get into shape! I say ask for help! I say feed your curiosity! I say learn new things! I say take care of yourself and guard your mind! Don't absorb information that will make you fearful of living spontaneously. Yes! BE RISKY! (Don't jump off a bridge and hope to swim once you hit the ocean - that's not what I mean) What I mean is, take a good look in the mirror and get real with yourself. Are you HAPPY? Like, really happy? I'm not suggesting that celebrities have the perfect life and to compare yourself to Hollywood Actresses, (I refer to famous people so that readers can relate to a specific image of someone who's already achieved a challenging goal) but what I am suggesting is that regardless of the age group you're in, allow yourself to dream big and... hey... make a bucket list. For example, if visiting Egypt just happens to be something you'd like to do before you die, then find out what measures to take and do it.

This month I've been working with a swarm of music producers, and although they all have a different style & sound, I can't help but feel blessed to work on my craft. It does get scary though! Being thirty years old, sometimes I do feel conflicted about whether or not I should direct my energy into a more secure business that is less spontaneous in nature. (Something that offers more guarantees) With music, one never knows what record will break or when. But, on the flip side, one doesn't know how far you can go if you give it your all. How do you know your record won't be the next international hit and that you won't suddenly be in demand to perform overseas? As children, we believe the world is our oyster. There's not much we fear, and for that we reach for the stars! But as adults,  a common fear is that people begin neglecting their inner child. Yet my personal belief is that, since with age comes wisdom, we have the upper hand to still make our dreams a reality by being a little bit more business savvy, selective with who we work with, and by knowing how to balance our personal & professional lives in order to get the best of both worlds.

In addition to all the great music I'm working on lately, I'm proud to host a party this coming Friday at The Sullivan Room in NYC which includes a live art show, a dance performance, and a line up of some of the dopest DJ's in the house scene. So you see, events like this are good for business networking, for attracting other like minded (creative) individuals, and for staying in the loop with what's new in the scene. "Aren't you a little too old to be partying?", one might ask. NO! As long as we have our priorities in order, such as feeding our spirit with joy so that our frequency and vibration RISES, then we will attract other joyful attributes into our lives and choose a career that will not only pay us, but will also allow us to live longer and happier lives by getting paid to do what we love! So I say, choose the road less traveled.

A HARLEM HIGHLIGHT

Last week I joined a spoken word poetry event called Raising Hell at a brand new location in Harlem: The DeJaVu Book Store & Tantalizing Boutique. However, instead of reciting a poem, I sang an acapella to one of my new songs (never sung live before). How I love singing acapella!

This funky, cool store holds urban literature novelties, costume jewelry, and even sex toys for your freaky fetishes! And in the back, there's a small stage for performers to rock the mic during after-hours when the facility is closed to the public.

Despite it being a cozy, small, and intimate environment, the artists who come are no small-time people. These free-thinkers express themselves in a raw, uncut fashion that's captured on film & photography. To learn more about these events happening in Harlem, google Monica S. Martinez (one of the owners of the boutique) and follow her on Twitter.

Words of Seduction

Jasmine Clemente as a Spoken Word Poet

Wow! What an amazing spoken word poetry event I joined last night at the legendary, NuYorican Poets Cafe located in the L.E.S. Around 7PM is when the open mic part of the show began, which I signed up for to recite the 2nd poem I've ever written. Obviously, this is not something I'm used to doing as often as singing. But I thought it would be a good idea to expand my horizons and unleash a hidden talent.

And so I did. I shared my romantic poem called My Poseidon. (You can find the full length version posted in the 2011 part of this blog) To my surprise, the audience highly enjoyed it - though it made me blush. I was a little unsure of my performance delivery and even the flow of the piece (since I'm new at this), but hey, if the people liked it, then I must be onto something. And although my main focus of course is still music and novelty writing, I must admit that I'm truly excited about exploring this poetic side of myself. You just never know what opened doors may lead to!

Oh! Let me not forget to mention some of the greatest highlights of the night! So here it goes... Special shout out to Monica S. Martinez for sponsoring Words of Seduction (The Event Title) John Chance Acevedo for being such a comedic host, Advocate of Wordz for being an awe-inspiring feature, and of course, Raul Rios for being the main host that coordinated and put this all together. Till next time... Dreamers, keep dreaming!

MASTERS AT MUSIC

Paying respect to these musical icons who inspired my dreams and entertained my days. May they rest in peace after servicing this world with their beautiful voices, exciting performances, and by showing us what not to do after they fell victim to some tough addictions. May they finally be free.  

R.I.P. WHITNEY HOUSTON & MICHAEL JACKSON

RECENT VIDEO SHOOT

How much should I tell in this blog? Do you really wanna know what goes on behind the scenes of becoming a star, or turning your dreams into a reality? Well, about three weeks ago... I had a video shoot scheduled with the director, Rodolfo Duran of DoneRight - digital. But as it turned out, one of my team mates (anonymous music producer) suggested that I record a brand new song for the next video to keep my projects current, so I agreed. Off into the studio we went and in a matter of 3 hours, it was done. I look happy in that picture there, don't I?

Jasmine Clemente at Sullivan Hall, NYC

Well, the wheel of fortune took a low turn when the producer and I had a few discrepancies regarding issues that I can't disclose on this blog. Needless to say, on the morning of the video shoot we had a huge fall out. In fact, it was such a tumultuous experience that I almost felt compelled to cancel the video shoot due to becoming physically, emotionally and mentally stressed out. However, the music producer convinced me not to reschedule despite my condition. And somehow... (through a miracle) I gathered the strength to not only walk onto set, but to give this video a fire within me that I never even knew I had. 


So there I was, all dolled up. Make up done right, hair looking fierce and my outfits complimenting my figure. No one, absolutely no one from the film crew knew how stressed out I'd been only a few hours prior to filming. They all continued setting up bright lights, plugging in tons of equipment, and brainstorming ideas, etc. Once the camera began rolling, I switched into character and sang as if this video would be up for a Grammy Award. (Hey! You never know!) A deeper purpose began to rise from within, as if Lucifer - the angel of music - revealed himself to put the yin into the yang. Yet I didn't fear or repress my anger, because it was something that I believe I had to express in order to become a more powerful person. Perhaps even, my anger is what propelled me to push forward. But whatever it was, the director loved my energy. 

The reason why I'm sharing this information is because the road to success is not a smooth and straight path. If anyone is thinking of breaking into show business, please bare in mind that you will be dealing with a lot of different personality types (Tyrants, Manipulators, etc. Like a Puff Daddy or a Kanye West who are rumored to be extremely strict and overbearing to work with) and so imagine always running away from them? In fact, maybe the key is not to run at all, but to face these moments regardless of how challenging they seem. All I know is this... What one person may do to you, he may not do to a mega superstar like Madonna, Sean Combs, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce or... You get my drift? (Because they wouldn't want to burn a bridge) And knowing this makes me want to step into my own power that much more. I may not have platinum record sales but I'm still a successful woman in this business with a golden reputation. And this is how we should all carry ourselves and feel right down to the core. Our confidence should be UNSHAKABLE, and we must draw the line when people try to overstep our boundaries. Oh yeah, there's a reason why they say, you must have thick skin in this industry.

Ironically, the name of this record is called Everything You Need. And what that means is that everything we need is already inside of us. Our gifts, our strength, our inspiration, our answers, and our power all come from within. Once we realize this, then we can go out into the world and make our dreams a reality. Although no one said it would be easy, how bad do you really want it? Are you sure you're built for this? When certain problems block you from completing a project or achieving a goal, it can definitely leave you feeling discouraged. That's understandable. But it helps to remember the responsibility that comes with being blessed. God wouldn't give you a voice if he didn't want it to be heard. And with that, it's important to treat yourself well so that God can use you as his instrument. You weren't born to shy away or hide your natural gifts. A writer writes, a singer sings, a director films, a producer produces, a dancer dances, and a painter paints. Although in this business, the reality is that egos may clash, ideas may be stolen and politics may pull strings, that doesn't mean that you back out because you think life's unfair. What you do is this... draw strength from your higher power so that he may lead you out of darkness and into the light. There are some very creative individuals who have integrity, class and wisdom. Hence, they make excellent mentors and people to join forces with.

This blog entry displays a few pictures of DAY 1 on set, however, there will be more footage to share plus a video release party to follow. In addition, I'd like to thank Rodolfo Duran and his entire film crew for exuding great vibes on set, and for being professional, courteous, creative, humble and extremely generous with their time, energy, and resources. Until next time - dreamers, keeps your heads up!