Arts & Entertainment
RMU Basketball Player Finds Solace in Music
Jasmine Tate said her brand of gospel music helps her express herself and deal with the pressures of college athletics.
Robert Morris University recruited her to play on its women’s basketball team.
But despite her distinguished record in high school basketball, Jasmine Tate, now a sophomore corporate communication major and guard on RMU's team, said of her relatively new pasttime: "I love music more than basketball."
Growing up, she was impressed by the choir that sang at her church in her native Columbus, OH. But not until May did she decide to try singing herself with a little help from new media: She taught herself how to play guitar by watching YouTube.
Singing, on the other hand, came naturally, she said. So far she’s composed more than 75 songs, which she croons on Tuesday nights at the university's Open Mic Night in the Nicholson Center.
“It’s kind of weird and a really chaotic [writing] process,” she said. “I usually just find some chords that I like and just go from there. It normally takes me ten minutes to write a song.”
She said R&B singer-songerwriter Lauryn Hill is an inspiration. She tries to recreate Hill’s signature smooth, soulful sound in her own brand of gospel music.
“Her lyrics have depth,” Tate said. “Shallow music sucks. I don’t listen to mainstream music.”
After getting her start performing at RMU, she’s taken the stage at other events including an arts festival near her hometown in Ohio. She said those performances have led to “a few doors opening.”
“Last year here was my first time ever doing the Open Mic Night,” she said. “It was awesome.”
With the hectic schedule that comes with balancing college life while playing on an NCAA basketball team, Tate said music has become more than a creative outlet: It often helps her unwind.
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“I just really like music, so I find time to do music because it keeps me level-headed and just lets me relax,” Tate said. “School and basketball can be really stressful and a lot of pressure at times, so if I can just pick up a guitar and chill, it’s like everything is alright, you know?”
See Tate perform live at RMU’s next Open Mic Night at 9 p.m. March 22 in the Nicholson Center and visit her YouTube channel to hear some of her original songs.
