Music: Jasmine Only You

Japanese R'n'B/soul songstress Jasmine, 22, is back with her latest single, "Only You."

In normal Jasmine fashion, the single is a smooth and passionate slow jam about a person's love giving her strength.

I've been following Jasmine's career since I first heard her debut track, "Sad to Say," back in 2009, while living in Japan. The single was a hit and became certified platinum for full cellphone downloads. However, 3 years later, it still doesn't seem like she's making much of an impact in the Japanese music industry. None of her releases following have managed to reach the top 10 on the Oricon.

There's no denying that Jasmine is talented as she has the ability to sing (and sing well), write, and take part in the production of her music. She's also easy on the eyes, which is a plus in this industry.

Jasmine showed so much promise in the beginning. She was said to be the next Utada Hikaru, which is a huge honor. However, by Utada's third single, she was taking Japan by storm. So why aren't j-music lovers raving about Jasmine yet?

 Here may be some reasons:

A) Music Lacks Variety. I remember playing several of Jasmine's singles for my cousin one day, and she said each song sounded like the one that just went off. Jasmine sings the same way in most of her songs. Add that to the same slow to mid tempos and song construction, and each track definitely will "feel" the same. Just because you are classified as an RnB singer doesn't mean all your music has to be straight up RnB. She needs to dab into some different sounds and play around with her voice a bit. You don't need to belt it out on every track to prove you can sing. The general public is probably starting to think she's incapable of doing anything else besides sappy RnB songs, which is a genre not extremely popular in Japan.

B) Poor Music Video Quality. If there's anyone in need of a music video budget, its definitely her. I've seen more interesting videos shot in front of a green screen. Jasmine's videos usually have a color concept where she's dressed up in some sort of costume. They mostly consist of her standing somewhere, walking somewhere, singing into the camera, and that's about it. Uninspired and uninteresting. Even if you love the song, you'll find it hard to sit through the entire video. You can't blame her completely as most artists don't direct their own videos, but whoever has been directing hers need to be fired.

C) Her Lack of Personality. Though Jasmine dresses up in outlandish outfits, you can't help but notice her blank stare and stiffness. Her expressions are the same regardless of what she's singing about. Just look at the picture above and you can see what I mean. Different outfit but same look. She just needs to loosen up and do something different because it gives the impression she's not completely comfortable on camera. It's your song, your video, OWN IT!

D) Little to No Promotions. Getting your name out there and letting your voice be heard is important in an industry saturated with musicians. I have yet to hear of Jasmine doing anything major in the promotions department. She needs more public appearances, fan meetings, variety shows, and of course performances. This is how artists make their money and increase music sales.

 

As you can see, Jasmine is in desparate need of a new sound, image, and a video budget above $100 if she wants to keep her singing career afloat. I still have faith in her because not everyone hits it out the park from the time they debut. Sometimes it takes a few years. At just 22 years old, there's plenty of time to turn things around.

Maybe it's time for a change in management. She's currently signed Sony Music Japan. Even though they are one of the largest record labels in the world, they're gaining the reputation of sleeping on their artists and not pushing them to reach their full potential.

This song is okay like her previous songs, but I'm still waiting to be blown away.