CREDIT: TASMINE JANE BAND SHARES THE IMPACT THAT FANSHAWE'S MUSIC INDUSTRY ARTS (MIA) HAS ON HER AS AN ARTIST AND SONGWRITER.
PROVIDED BY TASMINE JANE

Tasmine Jane, 25, is an artist and songwriter from Fanshawe's Music Industry Arts (MIA) program who's grown immensely during her time at Fanshawe both as a performer and writer.

Having recently released her debut single Four On The Floor and with an EP soon to follow, Jane is off to an impressive start with no signs of slowing down.

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Jane's career and what makes her so unique is the unexpectedness of it all. If you had asked Jane what her plans were ten years ago, music would have been nowhere near the equation.

“[Before MIA, music] wasn't really something [she] considered doing for money or as a job. It was just something that [she] did for fun and [she] didn't really know [she] was any good at it,” Jane said. Jane's vocal experience was limited to karaoke nights, having not even picked up a guitar until she was in her early twenties. Rather than music, Jane instead decided to pursue her visual artistic side, first attending Sheridan College for graphic design and later for video game design.

Jane had full intentions to continue perusing this education but a shift in the admission requirements forced her to look into other programs, one being MIA at Fanshawe College.

Jane was happily surprised to be accepted into the program and this brought upon a mindset shift, changing the way she looked at music from a hobby to a potential career.

Upon attending MIA, Jane was intimidated at first when comparing herself to peers and looking at the background and experience they already had in the industry.

However, she soon found ways to apply her individual talents to the musical world.

“I didn't come into MIA with the same musical background as other people, but I definitely had talents that could be put towards music,” Jane said. “[Upon coming to MIA], it was kind of a whirlwind of being so immersed in music and being around so many talented people. It really inspired me.”

One area that Jane grew quite a lot in during her first year was that of stage presence and confidence as a performer, having little experience in these areas beforehand.

“At first it was kind of intimidating for me but everyone is really supportive and really kind…I think it's impacted me the most in just giving me confidence in being able to perform. Because…now I get up and it's fun,” Jane said.

She also found a strong passion for writing music, an area she had been developing before she was even involved in music.

“I've always been writing ever since I was young, that was something I really enjoyed as a hobby,” Jane said.

This is far more than a hobby for her now however, starting every morning by sitting down with a coffee and writing. “Even if it's complete garbage at least I have written something…I just like to exercise that part of my brain…It's a discipline thing…[and] it's a therapeutic thing for me,” Jane said.

Jane continues to work hard on her craft, having just recorded an EP of original music this past summer with the help of MIA alumnus, producer/engineer Nick Fetchison.

Jane recently formed a live band with plans of performing and promoting her EP this summer.

It's been an exciting journey so far and with big plans for the future, Tasmine Jane is certainly an artist to keep an eye on. You can stay up to date with all that she has in store at Facebook.com/TasmineJaneBand.

Her debut single Four on the Floor can be found on all major streaming platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music.