May 23, 2023, 12:00 p.m. EDT
Jasmine is a multidisciplinary artist in all the ways. She's a DJ, an on camera and radio host, a cultural organizer, just to name a few. Georgette and Jasmine both have deep WERS roots, fun fact: Jasmine created The Secret Spot, and they wax poetic on her journey building a career around music and activism, her new work-life balance, and advice she'd give her younger Emerson self. Recorded on March 29, 2023.
Transcript: Season 6, Episode 2
Jasmine Solano
Georgette Pierre:
What does it mean to make it big? Well, it depends on who you ask, and we did. Welcome to Making it Big in 30 minutes, a podcast for, by, and about the Emerson community. You're about to meet an Emersonian who's making it, making a living, making a difference, and sometimes making it up as they go. I'm your host and alum, Georgette Pierre. If you like what you hear, subscribe and share with your friends and meet me and other Emersonians over on Emerge, the only digital platform exclusive to the Emerson community. Go to Emerge.Emerson.edu for more.
Jasmine Solano is a multidisciplinary artist in all the ways. She's a DJ, an on camera and radio host, a cultural organizer, and the list goes on and on and on to the break of break of dawn. Couldn't help myself. But at the end of it all, she loves what she does. She got the entertainment bug at a young age leading her to become the architect of her own degree at Emerson, mixing and matching music and activism. Fast forward, she's hosting events for major clients like Google, HBO, NBC, and co-founding Clubhouse Global, a social impact livestream platform featuring artists galore. We reunite as she wax poetic on her journey building a career around music and activism, her new work-life balance, and advice she'd give her younger Emerson self. Here is Jasmine Solano on making it as a DJ, digital host, and cultural organizer. Man, man, man, man, it's so good to see you.
Jasmine Solano:
Hey. They don't know that we are such fans of each other from the past, like however decade, many years that this is such a treat.
Georgette Pierre:
No. It is. It's a homecoming. It feels so good to see you, talk to you, catch up with you. I'm so grateful that you're here. You were able to make it. Welcome to Making It Big.
Jasmine Solano:
Yes. Thank you for having me. I've been waiting to tell my Emerson story.
Georgette Pierre:
Yes. Now, what's the lighthearted, quirkiest way to describe your profession?
Jasmine Solano:
I mean, technically I am a DJ, digital host, cultural organizer, producer. That would sum it up.
Georgette Pierre:
I love that. What did you study at Emerson? And how did that inform the work you're doing now?
Jasmine Solano:
So I often tell several stories about my time at Emerson to help people understand why I am the way I am, why I might be a workaholic, why I might be an overachiever, why I am severely led by my passions. And one of the best examples is when I initially went to Emerson, I wanted to design my own major and I came into the college wanting to study music activism, which at the time there was no such major.
There was no such thing, but I was determined, and I learned that you could design your own major at Emerson, which was a very big selling point besides seeing the radio station, which completely, as you know, took me over and wooed me in. And when I sat down in the beginning of college with my advisor, I said, okay, what are my options to study music activism? And we decided that I was going to do almost like a triple major where I would study audio radio, marketing com, and political science. And that's what I did. And initially my major was called the music activism quest. And I'm not quite sure, I always say Emerson was so liberal, and I try to explain...
Georgette Pierre:
I agree.
Jasmine Solano:
... how. And I'm like, you let my little 17 year old self name my major as if it were a mix tape, which is fine. You know? I look back in retrospect and I'm like that was hard body. I'm very impressed. And then eventually it matured into a title reading, music, production, and social marketing. And at the time it was pre-social media, so social marketing meant marketing for nonprofits, for movements, for causes, you know, the study of human behavior and how collectives begin to change society for the better. So that is what I graduated with, a degree in music production and social marketing.
Georgette Pierre:
What does being at the intersection of music and activism mean to you? And then how does that continue to show up in the work that you're doing?
Jasmine Solano:
I've always looked at music as anthropology. I've always looked at music as the secret key to bringing people together that otherwise would never be in the same room. I've always looked at music as transcendence, where people can finally release emotions that they maybe cannot describe verbally, that they don't have the tools to work through physically. So music has always been the most powerful force to me, and I think that it's always an act of activism, whether it tries to be or not. I think there's the literal sense where you can have socially conscious music. You can have benefit concerts and fundraisers where the literal subject matter is about changing the world for the better. But on a lighter note, and maybe on a more subtle note, on a more hidden note, the act of bringing community together under the guise of music with the ability to make people have a shared vulnerable experience with one another is an act of activism to me.
And that's why I've been so devoted to creating spaces that allow for that, for curating programs that are catalysts for that, whether it be behind the scenes or in front of the camera or in the DJ booth. It just brings me so much joy, and it was something that was important to me even as a 15, 16 year old. And that's why Emerson was literally the perfect fit for me because not only were they liberal enough to allow me to do what I wanted, but they also had the classes that could teach me about all the intricacies for all those three touchpoints.
And then you got this bomb radio station that at the time is the number one college radio station in the country. And we ran that radio station for the four years I was there as if it was. And we competed with JAM'N 94.5 and all the other major market radio stations and you know this. So that's just the best example to show people like, hey, I've been really dedicated to this for a long time. I'm always happy when activism becomes cool and when it becomes trendy. But I also want people to know who are maybe more recent fans, followers, or just have learned about me recently that this has literally been important to me since I was a teenager, and I consider it part of my life purpose.
Georgette Pierre:
You know, ERS, man, I think for anyone that went to Emerson, worked at ERS, it has a special place in our heart, and to even plug, you know, there were three urban radio programs at the time when I was there. So there was rockers, the reggae, John. I'm not from Philly, but got shots, the rockers John, for you being a Philly native. We had had ERS at night, WERS 88.9 at night for the hip hop. And then we had The Secret Spot, which you were a part of curating and bringing to the forefront.
And so for those that may not even necessarily know where to begin, what did ERS do for you? And even just the connection of using the programs or the things that we had access to, because I came from a college radio station in undergrad, but when I went to Emerson for grad school, I was like, oh, this station looks like a commercial radio station. It was not your Joe Schmo run-of-the-mill college radio station. And so I am curious on your experience at ERS and some of those skill sets that you took with you and what you're doing now.
Jasmine Solano:
I mean, not to sound dramatic, but there are two things that have made my career.
Georgette Pierre:
Yeah.
Jasmine Solano:
One is New York City and the second is WERS. I got really lucky in terms of the other students and the general manager, Jack Casey, who happened to be there at the time that I went to school. We were such a tight family unit. We lived and breathed that radio station and there were two sides to it, which is also a metaphor for how I've built my career as a creative entrepreneur. The two sides are that I learned about how to manage, how to essentially run a company or a business or an organization, even though we weren't for profit. You know, by the time I was a senior and the program director, I was managing a hundred students in 25 different shows. And that was bootcamp. And then on the flip side, I was able to be a performer the entire time.
So I spun underground hiphop the first three years. And then I approached, and big shout out to Alden Fertig, who was also a student, but he was the general manager at the time. And I approached him and Jack Casey and I said, look, if you ever want to do a soul, funk, R&B show, I'm your girl. I'm just telling you I'm your girl. And what happened was we started it as a very late night, 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM on the weekends trial show. That did decent. And we moved it to, I think a little bit earlier for one night. And then they approached me and said, hey, we think we want to really give this a go. Would you be open to doing this Saturday and Sunday nights 8:00 PM to midnight? And I said, say less, yes, I will move my bed into the radio station. I will cook microwaveable meals.
Whatever needs to be done needs to be done. And I devoted an entire year on that show. And essentially that's where Jasmine Solano was even born. We approached the entire thing like a professional radio show, photo shoots campaign, radio name, the entire top to bottom. And I would prep for eight hours before each show. So I would be there all weekend, and I was perfecting this playlist of the multi-genre journey of R&B, soul, and funk. And we came up with the Secret Spot as the name. And I was inspired because of the place in Santa Cruz, which is called The Secret Spot. And it's a place in the woods where the gravity is different than the rest of the world.
Georgette Pierre:
Interesting.
Jasmine Solano:
And so you can hang things from a ceiling and they'll hang on a 45 degree angle. And it's just a very interesting scientific wonder of the United States. And that inspired me to come up with that name. And what was really cool was that after a year, I won an EVVY for that show, which I can only explain to other Emersonians who understand how big of a deal that is. And also I won an award at the New England Urban Music Awards for best female radio personality. And that was a really telling moment that I was on the right path. And that putting the hours and hours and hours into it really, really paid off. So what's very cool is that my friend, Jerry, he used to run the rockers show, the reggae show back in the day, he recently sent me a photo of a bus that had an ad on it for The Secret Spot. And I'm like to know this show is still there as the person who created it, I mean, I can't even describe how cool that is.
Georgette Pierre:
Yeah. No. I think, 'cause I know D is now general manager because Jack retired. I think it's now they bumped it up to it being daily, I believe.
Jasmine Solano:
Yeah.
Georgette Pierre:
Because the reggae and hip hop slots were gone after some point several years ago, but I remember, I think D does The Secret Spot now.
Jasmine Solano:
Yes. I do know that D does The Secret Spot now.
Georgette Pierre:
And that was his shit. He loves The Secret Spot. He loves The Secret Spot.
Jasmine Solano:
The show is in great hands. And either way it's like whatever happens with it happens with it. The fact that it's still even on air is just so cool.
Georgette Pierre:
That's awesome.
Jasmine Solano:
And it's like my little Emerson legacy.
Georgette Pierre:
If you can go back in time to your Emerson self, what would you say?
Jasmine Solano:
Oh my god, that girl, that girl, you know, I graduated, I was always a year, I was a year younger. I started first grade when I was five turning six. So I was always younger than everybody. And so I went into Emerson at 17 and I thought I knew everything. I thought I knew everything. By the time I was 19, I thought I knew everything. And then don't tell me when I'm 20 and I'm being a love doctor on The Secret Spot giving advice to people who are calling in and asking me about their divorces and their breakups. And I'm like, oh, you know what? Let me play some Teddy Pendergrass for you. Like what? I mean, I would say that there is so much life to live, girlfriend. There is so much more to experience and just like don't take everything to heart because you're just getting started. That's what I would tell her.
Georgette Pierre:
We just getting started, baby Jasmine Solano, you just getting started. And at the time, you weren't going by Jasmine Solano when you got to Emerson either.
Jasmine Solano:
Right. Like my whole other government name and it, I mean, who knew, who knew this life was going to be what it has become. But I really owe so much to my Emerson experience, and I know that not everyone has a great college experience. And I feel really privileged that Emerson was so specific and attracted so many like-minded kids that I still have like five girlfriends that are my best friends from Emerson. We play pickle ball on the weekends. You know?
Georgette Pierre:
What's one lesson that you learned the hard way in life, whatever that means to you.
Jasmine Solano:
Yeah. I learned, I'm a planner. Okay? I am a camp counselor, militant sergeant. Like the performer side of me is free spirited, let's DJ in these mountains, and let's all connect, but when it comes to business and life, I am a super planner. And I'll give you one example that ties back to Emerson. I used to help students plan their four years, like the freshmen as soon as they got there and I'm like, look, this is how you going to do it. You could save your electives for this, because I did a semester at sea, but I had to take a leave of absence to do that.
And in order to not miss any time or be held back half a year, I saved on my gen eds for that semester, took a leave of absence, had the gen eds transfer, whoopty woo. But I had planned all of this early enough and I was just sitting down with a lot of students to get to know what they wanted to accomplish at the school and helping them plan that out. So anyway, super planner, and the biggest lesson I've had in my life is that you can plan all you want, and the saying is that you plan and God laughs. Right?
Georgette Pierre:
Yes.
Jasmine Solano:
You can plan all you want, but there are things in this universe that are not under your control. And so if you are going to plan and you are going to set goals, amazing, incredible. It's necessary. But I think the most important tool to learn is how to pivot and how to not dwell on the fact that things didn't turn out the way you wanted them to exactly because you don't know what better situation is around the corner. You don't know why you were supposed to pivot and you don't really know until it happens. So I've learned that lesson the hard way enough to develop a better reaction when my plan didn't go as planned.
Georgette Pierre:
Is there a support group for us as far as the planners are concerned because...
Jasmine Solano:
Planners anonymous?
Georgette Pierre:
Okay. I don't know if people really appreciate the people that really get into the weeds of planning and structuring things, but I am in the season of really releasing what the outcome is supposed to look like. That was tough for me. That was really tough.
Jasmine Solano:
It's the hardest thing in life, I think. I think it's the hardest thing. If you have deep passions and deep goals and you see that timeline and you see yourself here, there, and everywhere, I think that is the hardest lesson to learn and to still keep the motivation and drive to get to your goal even if the obstacle along the way looks different than what you thought.
Georgette Pierre:
Absolutely. Yeah. It's been, actually, the journey has been fun learning how to release. It's like, oh god, you had a better, so you've been trying to get me to get out my own way for how long now? Oh. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're right. You're right. I laugh now 'cause I'm just like, Georgette, if you keep trying to plan, you're literally missing a shortcut or whatever the opportunity or outcome could be that is much better than yours.
Jasmine Solano:
A hundred percent. And what helps me, if you're talking about a group for help for that?
Georgette Pierre:
Yes.
Jasmine Solano:
I try to do things that scare me. I'm like put me on that zip line in the jungle. Sure. You want me to go upside down on it? Okay, fine. I'm going to rock climb over here. It usually helps for me to prove to myself that I can handle anything. So there's one tip for Planners Anonymous. Do something unexpected that scares you.
Georgette Pierre:
Yes. Done and done. I think about us dabbling and being multidisciplinary artists and I would even call it creative entrepreneur. You know, what does that mean when someone hears the word creative entrepreneur? Because I know at least in our times being a creative was not necessarily a sustainable path financially, but we have found ways to make it work because it's not just one thing. Creative arts could be like the curating, the DJing, the nonprofit, you know, you're doing all these things. I'm voice acting and I'm producing and I'm, so what can you share around this idea of becoming and pursuing being a creative entrepreneur?
Jasmine Solano:
Sure. What a great question. For one, being an entrepreneur is essentially being your own boss, whether that's being a freelancer, a contractor, a consultant, or a talent. Right? And I'm sure I'm missing a couple little other roles that are just as significant, but those are the ones that come to mind, at least in my industry. And in order to be an entrepreneur, you need to make your own money. You're not clocking in for a full-time or part-time job with another boss with another person to answer to. You have to answer to yourself, and therefore you are fully responsible for yourself. If you're going to be an entrepreneur in the creative field, whether that's a producer, an actress, a DJ, a singer, a theater actor, a TV script writer, all of these amazing paths, there's another level of discipline that you got to have.
Because if you are in, let's say, the product economy where you make a product that satisfies a void and you need to promote it and you need to sell it, you need to market it, it's a little bit more linear. You still have to deal with the changes in society and competition and the economy and all of that. But when you decide to do this as a creative, your craft is your product and your craft needs to be seasoned. It needs to be top-notch. It needs to include professionalism. And it really takes a lot from your being to not give up and to sharpen your craft. And oftentimes it's so personal because you are selling yourself, and you're selling how good you are. And there's a very fine line between allowing that to determine your worth versus understanding that it's an incredible skill and talent that you have that you're trying to make money with. And those lines get blurred a lot. It takes a minute and it takes checking in with yourself, and it takes a lot of solid mental support to make sure you can keep those two separated.
Because when people tell you “you are not your job”, that is hard to digest when you are selling yourself. And to be a creative entrepreneur takes a lot of guts. It takes a lot of discipline and consistency. And it takes a lot of mental strength. And I don't say that to scare people. I say that to not sugarcoat it because you can look at my social media and be like, oh, Jasmine's in Monaco, and now she's on at Essence Fest, and she, you know. I work around the clock. I advocate for myself constantly. I am doing so much market research and supporting other people's endeavors and events in order to stay inspired, in order to network, in order to see what people are moved by. And luckily, I never really feel like I'm working, but when I created Clubhouse Global with my two partners over the pandemic, I was working 13 hours a day, six days a week, and you couldn't tell me otherwise. So you got to have a fire in you is what I'm saying. You got to have a fire. And I hope that people learn how to ignite that fire.
Georgette Pierre:
I mean, I think something that you said that was very poignant is the lines get blurred because you are your brand. You are your services that you are providing. You do sometimes attach worth to it. I know I have. And I'm curious on how did you keep the momentum going during the times you didn't always feel strong, motivated, or inspired?
Jasmine Solano:
Because I'm crazy.
Georgette Pierre:
In short.
Jasmine Solano:
I mean, no, because my fire won't dim, and I think I'm a little bit of a strange case. The same way that as a teenager, when I discovered DJing at 15 and turntable-ism, I was just like, oh no, what is this? This is it. And then I'm getting into all types of music and activism and becoming a little baby activist in my hometown. And I think that fire has just been there since I was very young. And I know that that is not always the case, which is why I preface it by calling myself a bit crazy and strange because again, I know that that doesn't happen with everyone that young, but for me, I've just always been very driven to experience the most out of life that I can. And I've been so inspired and moved by music my whole life that I am happy devoting myself to it.
However, I think that if you're in a spot where you don't know what your passion is yet, you haven't really discovered that one thing that you would stay up all night working on because it just gives you joy and sense of fulfillment, I say to those people, travel and try as many new things as you possibly can, because one of the reasons why I think that doesn't come for people is because they haven't gotten out of their comfort zone enough. They haven't gotten out of the environment that they've been in their whole lives enough. They haven't experienced enough that can shake them up, wake them up, and make them feel things they've never felt.
Georgette Pierre:
I love it. What do you miss most about your time at Emerson?
Jasmine Solano:
Oh man. I miss everything. The amount that I was learning every day, oh, and Fredericka Douglas, Miss Fredericka Douglas, who taught History of American Music, she was such an influence in my entire life. And I miss the education. I miss the social experience of having just so many people my age who are like-minded around me where it's not necessarily high school, which you feel like you're obligated to do, whereas college is more of a choice. And so people have a different intention when they're there. And I miss the radio station. I miss my fellow DJs there. I don't miss the cold weather. I sometimes miss Matt Murphy's. I miss The Paradise.
I've had the pleasure of coming back and DJing a bunch in Boston and even coming back to Emerson and DJing, doing a guest set at ERS. But I think overall, I just had such a great experience professionally and personally, and I think you don't really understand how special a time like that is until you have left it. And now you have to really work to make your connections and keep up with your friendships, and you're not thrown into an environment where you're going to meet hundreds of other people that may the same value system as you. You have to seek that out later in life.
Georgette Pierre:
I thought I had it made when I left the ERS. I was like, oh, I know radio. I'm going to get into New York radio. And I, I mean, I was on the cloud when I was at ERS at Emerson.
Jasmine Solano:
Yeah. A super cloud.
Georgette Pierre:
Yes. Yes.
Jasmine Solano:
A super cloud.
Georgette Pierre:
If you had to switch careers right now, what would you do?
Jasmine Solano:
Oh. I'd be a park ranger. That's my retirement plan. I want to be with the vest and the badges and people are visiting the park, and I'm like, all right, listen, you are not going to throw any trash. These are the only bathrooms you're using. I want you to respect the animals. Don't feed them.
Georgette Pierre:
I love that it's so left from what you're doing now. You're like, oh, I'd be a park ranger. Give me my vest. Give me my badge. Give me my whistle.
Jasmine Solano:
I'd live in a tiny house on property.
Georgette Pierre:
Okay.
Jasmine Solano:
And I'd be happy as a clam. You know?
Georgette Pierre:
I love that. No matter what you do now, your experience at Emerson has influenced who you are today. Every institution leaves its fingerprint on us, whether we use it, acknowledge it, or not. What mark did Emerson leave on you?
Jasmine Solano:
Oh. My gosh. I think that the biggest mark that was left was that I could actually construct a career and a life where my passions not only came first, but could be economically viable, that could make me money. I think that was the training ground for me to prove to myself that I could both be the creative and the entrepreneur. I had enough examples where I proved that I could excel in both of those arenas and combine them, and that's literally what I went on to do.
Georgette Pierre:
What's one thing that you'd like to try and why haven't you tried it yet?
Jasmine Solano:
Skydiving and I just haven't made the appointment, but I think 2023, let's go.
Georgette Pierre:
Let's go. Okay.
Jasmine Solano:
I mean that, there are other things that would scare me a lot too, but that's something it's a calculated risk that I'm down to take.
Georgette Pierre:
Yeah. Yeah.
Jasmine Solano:
But yeah, I'm been on a season of adventure and trying new things.
Georgette Pierre:
2023, I'm going to lean more into that for sure. Okay. Lastly, Miss Jasmine Solano, what does it mean to you...
Jasmine Solano:
You say it so nice.
Georgette Pierre:
Miss Jasmine Solano.
Jasmine Solano:
With your radio voice, I love it. These are two girls with excellent radio voices.
Georgette Pierre:
Okay. Listen.
Jasmine Solano:
You know. No big deal.
Georgette Pierre:
No big deal. What does it mean for you to make it? And how will when you get there?
Jasmine Solano:
The answer, you either want the philosophical answer or you want the technical answer, or you want the emotional answer, or you want the spiritual answer.
Georgette Pierre:
I want all of the above.
Jasmine Solano:
The answer is that you never really make it, because once you've accomplished goal A, goal B pops up and you accomplish goal B, and goal C pops up. And even if you've, let's say, made it as a creative entrepreneur, you have other goals in life. Your priorities change. Your world expands. There are things you want to add onto it. There's pieces that have been missing that you didn't realize. I mean, life is multifaceted. And I think when we get into the rhetoric of thinking we made it, it means we are not open to growing after that, or we don't have to keep trying or it can't get better than this. And I don't like to dive into that way of thinking because it's just not true.
I think that instead of looking at it as when will I know I've made it, I think the question is, when are you really content with who you are and the decisions that you've made for yourself? Because if we bring it back to the beginning, we can't really control what making it is going to look like. You know? But if we are content along the way, we try to make the right decisions. We stay true to who we are. We don't let people push us over. We try to do right by our communities and society. If you can keep that, because that alone is hard, that takes a lot of self-love, self-awareness, self-work.
But if you can maintain that, like I've been saying, when in the core of you is good and you try to make the best decisions you can, you'll somehow end up 15 years later, 30 years later looking back and being like damn I really did that. I really did that, and I did it right. And I don't have major regrets because I stayed true to who I was. I kept people in mind. I was considerate. I worked my ass off. I didn't give up. I'm more concerned about how I'm going to feel it at 80 looking back than if I made it by a certain age in your twenties, thirties, forties. You know? And I think that being content and proud of yourself is what gives you longevity in this career. Because the minute you fall victim to comparison, self-doubt, your timeline, you don't feel successful then. You feel robbed. You feel cheated. You feel like you're coming from a place of lack. So I think really making it in life is learning how to be happy and content with who you are.
Georgette Pierre:
And there you have it. Can the church say... Can the congregation say amen?
Jasmine Solano:
You're catching me in a season too. We were meant to talk.
Georgette Pierre:
We were. We were.
Jasmine Solano:
We were meant to talk.
Georgette Pierre:
Well, even deeper than this, right, it's just, oh man. Jasmine, thank you so much. Making It Big in 30 Minutes is sponsored by the Emerson College Office of Alumni Engagement and supported by the alumni board of directors. Stay in touch with the Emerson community. Join us over at Emerge, a digital platform where Emersonians go to connect. Go to Emerge.Emerson.edu for more.
