Eclectic Pop: First of all I want to say how much I really
enjoyed your EP. It was gripping and had a different sound that truly sets it
apart. There were a lot of thought provoking aspects to it as well. That kind
of leads us into my first question. The title of your EP is ‘Seven Years’; is
there a particular significance to the numerical value of 7?
Nina Yasmineh: ‘Seven Years’ refers to the time a stranger spontaneously predicted (or prophesized, if you will) that in approximately seven years I would create something that would be considered truly great artistically (this was almost three years ago now). I’ve had other things like that happen too and they inspire me to always keep working on my music and improving so that years from now maybe I will be able to do something really great.
One of my favorite lyrics from the EP comes from the
song “Name”, would you mind sharing the meaning behind the line “You want to
stay young forever/I want a good name”? It’s such a clever lyric and I’d like
to know its meaning from you.
I’m glad you appreciated that line, it’s one of my favorites too J. It came from a Patti Smith interview that I had seen just before writing the EP (you can watch it here). She talks about how the best thing you can do, especially as an artist, is to build a good name for yourself by continuing to create your art and do the best work you can, even if sometimes only a few people see it or you’re not making a lot of money from it.
I could really relate to that way of thinking and it struck me as a very different message from the “don’t care, die young, flash in the pan” mentality that is so pervasive in current pop culture.
I’m glad you appreciated that line, it’s one of my favorites too J. It came from a Patti Smith interview that I had seen just before writing the EP (you can watch it here). She talks about how the best thing you can do, especially as an artist, is to build a good name for yourself by continuing to create your art and do the best work you can, even if sometimes only a few people see it or you’re not making a lot of money from it.
I could really relate to that way of thinking and it struck me as a very different message from the “don’t care, die young, flash in the pan” mentality that is so pervasive in current pop culture.
How would you describe your sound?
Soulful, dark yet ethereal indie-pop
When did you realize you wanted to be a musician?
I have always wanted to be a musician, though when I was
little I was only interested in singing. Initially writing songs and having to
play an instrument while singing seemed like too much trouble. I took piano
lessons for a long time though, and a few guitar lessons, and then the
songwriting came pretty naturally from there.
Who are your greatest musical influences?
I’ve always been inspired by strong songwriters and
vocalists with a certain amount of attitude. When working on ‘Seven Years’, I
was influenced by artists like Mikky Ekko and Florence + the Machine (I
actually referenced a couple older Kanye West tracks as well).
You said on Twitter that you’re working on new music,
can you share a little in terms of the sound you’re going for with it? Is it going
to be in the same vein as ‘Seven Years’?
Yes, I am planning on the new music sounding similar to
‘Seven Years’ but a little more upbeat, maybe bigger production on a few songs.
‘Seven Years’ is mainly keyboard-based but some of the new songs I’ve written
on acoustic guitar so I’m looking forward to playing around with keyboard,
guitar and synth combinations.
What inspires you as an artist or sparks you to write
new music?
The songs I write are always personal. I write new music whenever I’ve been feeling something for a while and it kind of builds up and then writing the song is like a therapeutic release. I write about things that happen in my life, interactions with people that often seem unimportant but that affected me somehow.
The songs I write are always personal. I write new music whenever I’ve been feeling something for a while and it kind of builds up and then writing the song is like a therapeutic release. I write about things that happen in my life, interactions with people that often seem unimportant but that affected me somehow.
Is there a genre that would you like to explore more
musically?
I listen to a pretty wide variety of music and there are elements from different genres that I want to incorporate into my music in the future. I do love pop music and I like a lot of Top 40 pop songs so at some point I want to be involved in making that type of music, even if it’s not for myself as the artist.
I listen to a pretty wide variety of music and there are elements from different genres that I want to incorporate into my music in the future. I do love pop music and I like a lot of Top 40 pop songs so at some point I want to be involved in making that type of music, even if it’s not for myself as the artist.
What is your ultimate career aspiration as a musician?
Ultimately I just want to be able to keep making music,
performing and improving as an artist. I would love to get to a point where I have
a good enough reputation that I’m able to work with anybody in the music
industry and can collaborate with the musicians and producers that have
inspired me.
Eclectic Pop has no doubt that Yasmineh will be able to
accomplish her goals. I would like to thank her for taking the time to do
this interview. To keep up with her burgeoning career you can follow her on
Twitter @ninayasmineh and you can read Eclectic Pop's review of her EP here
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