When Rhaina Yasmin moved to Las Vegas six years ago, she was just a teenager trying to figure out her next passion in life. Shortly after her move, the singer enrolled as a student at School of Rock, an extracurricular music program for children and teens in the Valley. “That got my foot in the door, and I met a lot of people there I play with now,” she says.
These days, the 20-year-old Yasmin teaches at School of Rock, and sings and writes music for her own band. “At first, writing didn’t come as easily to me,” she says. “I wrote poetry, but writing songs was a bit tougher. I would overthink lyrics and melodies. And then I just started to write what felt organic to me.”
With newfound confidence in her writing abilities, Yasmin began performing at open mics, playing her own shows and booking solo gigs beyond school-related functions. With a full band backing her, Yasmin released her first EP, Wither, last August, and she’s at work on new singles with an eye toward a late-spring release.
Originally from the suburbs of New York City, Yasmin grew up listening to ’90s alternative music—staples like The Cranberries, Elliott Smith and Radiohead. As a singer-songwriter, Yasmin blends her indie sensibilities and nostalgic flair into lo-fi rock ballads, with the soulful prowess of other inspirations like Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell. The result recalls Japanese Breakfast and Mazzy Star, with a panache that’s uniquely Rhaina Yasmin.
As for live music, Yasmin adjusted to playing livestreams during the pandemic, but says she misses in-person shows. “It’s one of my favorite things to do,” she says. Currently enrolled in the Musicians Institute in LA, Yasmin says she’s learning more about the business side of the music industry, from production to marketing. “But as a musician, my favorite thing to do still is perform,” she says. “It makes me so happy.”
Yasmin adds that she wouldn’t be where she is without the guidance of her former vocal teacher—local R&B singer Brittany Rose—or two other prominent Vegas musicians, Sonia Seelinger and Cameron Calloway, who also cut their teeth in the open mic scene.
“A lot of local artists have guided me,” Yasmin says. “I really love Las Vegas now. It was a hard adjustment at first, because I was a teenager and I didn’t know anybody, but the opportunities I’ve had here in the local music scene have been unreal.”
Her most impressive feat might be that she’s done it all without playing a single 21-and-over venue. “That aspect is tough,” she concedes, but it hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her dream. “There are places that have a lot of opportunities,” Yasmin says. As venues begin to open back up, some will surely welcome in this talented musician.
Rhaina Yasmin Rhainayasmin.com, Rhainayasmin.bandcamp.com, Linktr.ee/rhainayasmin
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