© Yazmine MB
Let us introduce you to Yazmine MB- independent RnB artist who is explosively breaking out into the UK music industry.
Part 6/6 of UK’s breakout musician series.
Yazmine MB began releasing music in 2020 and since then has grown a Tiktok following of 23,000 and has dropped 3 singles with more to come later this year. The 21-year-old RnB and soul artist spoke to us at INJECTION magazine about her journey as an independent artist in the contemporary music scene.
Yazmine MB released her first single I Do in 2020 which pairs the matrimonial vow with resistance, within a fragile relationship. She began writing as a young girl however told us she found her sound at age 17 whilst studying at the Brit school. Stuck in These Walls was Yasmine’s second single, and was composed during the pandemic. Yazmine told us ‘I was really trying to empathise and connect with everyone that was going through the same thing at the time, as well as myself’. When writing songs, Yazmine added ‘Some of my songs are really quite personal to me. It's kind of like a diary. And sometimes, I try and step outside of myself and write about a wider issue. I think it really depends on the period I am at in my life and what is going on in the world and I try and merge the 2 together’.
Yazmine’s sound is a fusion of soul and RnB. Her earlier influences include Amy Winehouse, Erykah Badu and Alicia Keys and modern-day influences include Mahalia, Jorja Smith, H.E.R and Summer Walker. Yasmine’s own discography craftily pairs her soulful voice with RnB undertones and her musical icons are fluent with her own style. Discussing this, Yazmine told us how she takes pride in knowing her own style and staying true to that. She said ‘I know my standards now. I know what I want, I know what my style is, I know what my vibe is. I try my best to stay true to that completely. Obviously, I am open to trying other styles of music and taking advice from people who know the industry best - but I think, remaining faithful to who I am as an artist is how I remain true to myself’. Particularly when it comes to social media, Yazmine emphasises the importance of consistency and sincerity within how she presents herself online. She told us ‘I try and keep it real with Instagram. I'm not going to edit any photos. I try to think about when I was a young girl, the people I looked up to on social media - I wish they were a bit more real. I want to be the example I would have wanted to see when I was younger.'
Yazmine releases and promotes her music unaided and discussed the ways in which the contemporary music industry favours independent artists. She commented ‘What we are blessed to have as independent artists now is that we can release our own music and create our own record labels and create that buzz on social media that we may not have been able to do 20/30 years ago. I think the music industry is definitely changing positively in favour of independent artists. It's very exciting to see independent artists blow up from TikTok and Youtube, and hopefully I will be the same'. Yazmine's TikTok has gained traction over the past few years and has seen a host of viral videos promoting her own music and offering tips to other musicians. Despite this, the process of breaking out independently has not been completely straight forward for the artist. She emphasised ‘It’s a hard industry to break into. Obviously if you’ve already got a presence on social media and you’ve got connections then it’s a little bit easier. I think what matters most is the people you are working with. I've been working with some fantastic video directors, some fantastic producers and my fantastic band and I definitely wouldn’t be anywhere without them. It takes a village to create the sort of project that you want to be happy with.’
In a distinctive moment in Yazmine’s career, she performed at the 100 club which has seen the likes of Oasis, The Rolling Stones and The Who all taking residence on the stage. Describing the moment, Yazmine told us it was an honour to perform at such a reputable venue, adding ‘It was just so exciting because so many amazing artists have performed there and I performed there with one of my good friends and guitarists Ekin. It was just an amazing night’.
Yazmine MB is breaking out into the industry with determination and resistance as an independent artist. Her discography is stylish and soulful and will only continue to grow.