Photo Credit: Distant Cousins
One listen of [Yasmeen](https://www.instagram.com/yasmeen_music/?hl=en)’s [“Half Of Me,”](https://www.youtube.com/user/LADieVOKALz) and you’ll immediately fall in love. The record alone clocks in at over 4 million views on Spotify alone. Born in Detroit but raised in Phoenix, the singer-songwriter arrives with her own smooth, sultry voice, serenading the masses with meaningful lyrics chock full of emotion and passion.
She states, “Honestly I want to create music to really help relate to people, or help them in any way possible. That’s my biggest goal in life.” Beyond her musical talents, Yasmeen is currently in grad school at Arizona State University studying Business Management, receiving her undergrad degree in English Literature. She explains “writing is my jam, I love songwriting so much.”
When it comes to her ballads, Yasmeen holds nothing back, priding herself in writing her own music. Her accomplishments to date do not go unnoticed. Yasmeen’s songs have been featured on television shows _Being Mary Jane_ and Love Island_,_ even honored to have sang the national anthem at a Arizona Cardinals versus Chicago Bears football game in her hometown. Plus, she can play acoustic to any song you can imagine.
Flaunt caught up with Yasmeen via FaceTime to discuss her upbringing in Phoenix, her new single “Fixated,” her love for piano, and more!
**How have you been holding up during quarantine?**
It’s been good, aside from how unfortunate everything’s been. It’s really been a good time for me to write a lot and focus on music with no other distractions. I’ve definitely been very thankful for that.
**What did “Half of Me” do for your career?**
That’s my favorite release so far. In a sense, it gives you credibility. It gets people to say “oh, she really is an artist. She’s someone we should listen to.” In any industry where things get oversaturated, it’s hard to stand out. That’s been the biggest thing, giving me that credibility.
**Being from Arizona, what was the household like growing up?**
Phoenix is my hometown. I grew up in a music household, I'm a first generation American. My parents escaped the war in Iraq, they came here with nothing. My dad always loved music. He sang in our native language which is Aramaic, as well as Arabic. He tried to pursue a career in that industry in the Middle East. I’ve been surrounded by music my whole life. My family supports me, it’s been easy to navigate within my family. There are families that don’t support a music career, but it’s been a really supportive home. That’s always good.
**You released your new single “Fixated.” Who or what inspired this one?**
Honestly, it was a relationship where I wanted it to be the person I’d be with forever or marry. When you focus on that thought, you fixate on wanting that. Wanting it to be perfect when in reality it’s not what it is.
**What’s something you want fans to get from the record?**
To not be blinded by love that isn’t enough, that’s a lyric in the song. A lot of us as humans, we’re so emotional that we do get caught up in wanting to be loved. It’s important to always step back from emotions sometimes and realize “hey, this isn’t enough. This isn’t the love that I deserve.” You shouldn’t have to settle for that. Step back from being fixated on something that isn’t really true or isn’t what you think it is, I hope people are strong enough to realize that.
**What was your reaction to the record being featured on television shows, _Being Mary Jane_ and _Love Island_?**
That was really really cool. There was a couple where I was watching like “oh crap!” I had no idea, then you hear your song. That’s a really surreal feeling. That’s been a blessing, I’m super thankful for that. You hear all the hard work you put into it, it starts to take off.
**What are some of the pros and cons of being an independent singer-songwriter?**
The pros are definitely being able to navigate your career the way you want it. I even wrote a song about this called “MadeTo Win.” My biggest thing is not having to compromise yourself for what you believe in or what you love, or be molded into something that you're not. That’s a big pro of being independent, not having to do that. A con is obviously it’s a longer journey. Having to truly figure it out on your own, but it’ll all be worth it in the end.
[](https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlV19LJbTm/)
[sometimes I'll just freestyle for hours on the piano and lose track of time. late nights in the studio and 100 voice notes later.... piano ballad dropping soon. 🥀](https://www.instagram.com/p/CAlV19LJbTm/)
**How often are you going in on the piano?**
I try to do it as a daily thing. Sometimes inspiration doesn’t strike that often. \[laughs\] I go back and forth between piano and guitar. My downtime is being able to freestyle and let all my emotions and thoughts are. That’s been therapy for me, I do it as often as I can. Pretty often.
**What do you feel when you play the piano?**
It’s interesting because growing up, I’ve always been such an introvert. Always handled my emotions internally. Music is therapy for me. Being able to release everything is a very freeing feeling. I get to release all my thoughts, everything I hold in that I typically wouldn’t release otherwise. Freeing is a good word for it.
[](https://www.instagram.com/p/CAoNNbLJDO4/)
[amidst the darkness, be the light. 🥀](https://www.instagram.com/p/CAoNNbLJDO4/)
**I loved seeing your post about being a positive light amidst the darkness. Why is it important for you to promote positivity?**
My goal in music is to try to be a light. I wouldn’t say there’s so much darkness, but the darkness tends to stand out more. If there’s even one person who causes destruction, that gets talked about amongst the thousands of other people who created something positive. Negative things tend to always have the spotlight. It’s awesome when people with a platform utilize it to promote positivity or doing good things. It’s all subjective. Music is so universal that it can be used as a tool to bring people together, that’s what’s so powerful about music.
Photo Credit: Distant Cousins
**How does it feel to be compared to Adele?**
Whoa, that’s huge. \[chuckles\] That’s hard for me to talk about. I don’t think I should be compared to Adele. She tends to write about her pain, I definitely have always gravitated to doing that my whole entire life. For some reason, it’s easier to write about my pain. I definitely feel her on that level, we relate in that sense. Adele’s one artist I’d dream to definitely work with, she’s amazing.
**What can we expect next from you?**
I’m going to release a piano ballad soon, going back to my roots. Hopefully everyone is staying happy and sane during this time.
