Jazlyn Martin reflects on her musical influences, the challenges of growing up within two cultures, and how her debut EP Identity Crisis is a deeply personal exploration of self.

“My dad is a musician and I grew up watching him fall in love with music which made me fall in love with music. Naturally, I wanted to be on the stage and perform. My dad introduced me to D’Angelo and was a huge Prince and Michael Jackson fan. But D’Angelo was the first artist that I fell in love with,” says Jazlyn as she shares about her early influences and the role her dad played in her decision to follow a music career. 

As she sits down with Nounouche Magazine, Jazlyn sheds light on her debut EP titled Identity Crisis, her struggles growing up, her faith and being a part of the hit series Bel Air. 

“NeoSoul with Jill Scott is what got me into jazz-influenced records. I think it’s hard to bring back those influences because RnB and music have changed so much. But I try to implement it as best as I can.”

After explaining her early influences Jazlyn speaks about the current landscape of RnB music. “I think RnB is constantly changing and evolving. There is Lo-Fi RNB now, Indie RnB and even Rock RnB – so many different subgenres of RnB music. I hope that I can also push the boundaries of RnB by implementing more Jazz, Gospel, Pop and even Hip-Hop. I don’t want to just confine myself to just RnB but I would like to be able to do any type of genre.”

Coming fresh off the release of her debut EP, Jazlyn reflects on where she fits into the sphere of RnB music today. “I think RnB will always be at the root for me. RnB is my foundation as a music artist. I want to be able to push boundaries and push limits – going into any genre that I want to. I do love Pop, Afrobeat and Gospel. When you fall in love with music then you fall in love with any genre. I would love to express myself as an artist in any genre.”

Identity Crisis as a project is very layered and personal. Jazlyn shares how the creative process of the EP came to be. “The EP came about when I was just making songs but I didn’t know if I wanted an album or an EP. I didn’t know what the concept of the project was going to be. I had a conversation with a good friend of mine and he asked me what story I wanted to tell. This is going to be your introduction to the world as an artist. That conversation changed things for me. I don’t just want to put out music because it’s viral or because it is catchy. I want to be very intentional with my project.  A lot of times the most vulnerable things you don’t want to share are what people can relate to. I was fighting that. I didn’t want to share this part of me. Then life hit me and I was ready to share these things with the world. I asked myself what it is that I was struggling with – I feel like it has been my identity. Growing up I had a strong sense of my identity – strong, joyful and driven. I was a fearless child. As you get older you become more social and more aware. I went through things that made me question who I was and question my morality. Should I make myself smaller? That is where Identity Crisis birthed and also coming from a mixed background – you don’t know which world you fit into. You try to have both feet in both places. But the world forces you to choose one.”

Growing up Jazlyn faced many challenges and through her EP she was able to process those emotions. “I wasn’t involved with my Mexican side. I didn’t speak Spanish or even make traditional Mexican food. I didn’t even have an introduction to my Mexican roots. Growing up I wanted to be seen by my fellow Mexican people but the world saw me as a black girl. That was very difficult for me. Not because I’m not proud to be black – I’m overjoyed. You grow up being two things and the world says that you are not enough for this particular side. You start to question what you are since you aren’t Mexican or Black enough. It just felt very weird to me because there is so much anti-blackness in the Latino community which made me gravitate towards my blackness and hold onto it. After all, I felt safe and accepted.” During those moments of difficulty Jazlyn shares what kept her going despite things not always being easy for her. “There is this quote that I like. He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how. It focuses on your ‘why’ and your purpose. If your purpose isn’t strong then you will be easily deterred away from why you’re doing this. Rejection is a part of this whole industry. You have to get used to it and be okay with it. I have a strong reason why I need to do this. I don’t think that any ‘no’ will stop me.”

Speaking about her project Jazlyn reflects on her favourite song, Lead Me To Love.

The song serves as an outro on the project and she says that it being placed there was very specific. 

“I think it is such a big song vocally and vulnerability-wise. It was a lot for me to write and a lot for me to record. The whole project is about going through identity and on the last song I still don’t have it figured out. I am still longing to love and accept myself. I think that is a very real feeling. I think everyone has gone through an identity crisis, self-love vs self-hate. I wanted to leave listeners with two things. First: this girl can sing, I didn’t want people to come away from my project and think that I am cute – no I can sing. I wanted the big ballad at the end. And second; I feel that it was a closing out song. It felt like the end.”  

Deep Water is the second song off of Identity Crisis and has a hidden spiritual meaning. While speaking to Jazlyn, it is very evident that her faith plays an important role in her life. “I wrote Deep Water from the perspective of God talking to me. That song is about the conflict of ‘do I follow the world or do I follow God?’ I say the fire tries to silence me which is the world. The world tries to silence God. He is pulling me into the water. Holy water – you know that water is just so symbolic in the Bible. I just wanted to write a song about God having a conversation with me. I see you. I see all of your ugliness – I love it. Just come and surrender to me. I wanted the meaning to be hidden and once you find out what the real meaning is then you’re like oh wow – this is God talking to me! That was my goal – just dive into deep waters and follow me. I got you.” In her day to day life, Jazlyn’s faith is a big component. “You know I like to think that I’m ‘God-fident’ and not confident. God has just shown up significantly in my life and is very foundationally into my music and who I am as a person. I don’t think I would be able to do what I do if I didn’t have my faith. I think He has made me very strong to encounter anything that gets thrown at me.”

The creation of the EP wasn’t smooth sailing for Jazlyn with a few challenges coming along the way but her faith is what carried her through. “I think it goes back to faith where some things are out of my control. If something happened or didn’t go the right way – I was just like I am going to let go and let God. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Whether I see or understand it – it’s not my job to understand it. I should just have faith that it would work out for the better and it did. Especially because the music industry is so new to me, I’m at a point where I don’t want to fight it or get angry. I am a very solution-based person, I don’t want to focus on the problem. I would say counting it all as joy- because this industry is really tough. It is very easy to be discouraged and I told myself let me fall in love with the process – count it all as joy and everything will work out for the best.”  

Switching between the music industry and the acting industry is something Jazlyn had to adapt to. 

“They are very drastic industries. Of course, they have their similarities. Acting you have a union that protects you and you show up, do your work and leave then you’re done. With music, it feels like you never have an off day. The job is never finished. There is always more that you have to do. Logistically there is just so much that goes into music. I understand now why people don’t do it. It takes away the beautiful creative aspect of it because of the business side of it. I’ve had to get used to that and learn to fall in love with that. Each industry does have its benefits and its cons. I am getting used to how long it takes for music and all the people that have to approve everything. I am getting educated on everything but I am still getting used to it.”

Balancing an acting career and a musical one is very a challenging thing to do but Jazlyn is relishing the moment even though she doesn’t always have everything figured out just yet. “I’m not going to sit here and say that I have complete balance over everything because I don’t. I am just taking it day by day. I try to balance my mental well-being because a lot of the time I do get overwhelmed. 

I feel like I’m not doing enough and then I’m doing too much. Sometimes I feel like I’m not where I want to be. It is so hard to celebrate the small wins in this fast-paced industry. Something really big happens for you and then you’re already onto the next thing.  I am learning to be content and pouring into myself. I am not shy to have conversations that need to be had. If I need a break or a certain approach doesn’t sit well with me, I am very honest with how I feel. I think that is the best way to pour into myself – being honest with how I am feeling and where I am at. Nobody is going to know how to take care of me more than myself. I try to take myself on little self-dates and let myself unwind. Family is such a beautiful way to do that for me.”

The journey of being self-aware is one that Jazlyn had to learn over the years. 

“I think similarly to everyone it has been a journey. I have always been independent and always known how to pour into myself. I must admit that I still struggle with balancing. In the sense of pouring into myself vs pouring into my career. You get so wrapped up in your career – like this is happening, you’ve got to go here and do this. You are so hyper-fixated on the goal that you sometimes lose yourself. It’s been a journey for me to figure out that balance and I am still learning.Especially in this industry where everything is just so fast-paced. It is very easy to forget about yourself.”

Looking back and the advice that she would give her younger self Jazlyn shares a lot of wisdom and words of encouragement. “I would say just be you and don’t ever dim that fire. People will try. I think that people are scared of your fire and it’s okay to be fearless. I always think about that – my five-year-old self looking at the things that I am doing now. You did what today Jaz? And what are you doing tomorrow? Look at you – you’re doing it! My adult self is like I know it’s cool – I’m getting there. And my younger self is like no we’re doing it you dreamed of this. I would just say be unapologetically you. That fire is what makes you shine.”

Reflecting on her life Jazlyn shares that her advice to her younger self stems from moments in her life when she felt oppressed and in certain moments she couldn’t really be herself.

“It’s such a human experience to want to change yourself or dim yourself even thinking that something is wrong with you – maybe not feeling safe enough to be yourself. I think what is important for me is that I create a safe space in my mind and that is enough for me. Having such a beautiful community around me that makes me feel safe enough to be myself. I have encountered environments and spaces where I didn’t feel welcome – even to this day. And then I would have to dim myself and just stay in a corner. Sometimes it’s not a bad thing it can be out of protection and survival. Little Jaz would have been like oh you’re going to see me show up – whether you want me here or not.”

As we circle back to the project – I asked Jaz what her ‘least’ favourite song was. Surprisingly, she answered that it was Deep Water. 

“Deep Water might be my least favourite. I think it’s the way that I sang the song. It doesn’t hit me as hard as the other songs do. It’s crazy because my dad is on the song and it’s about God. I think maybe I didn’t execute the song in a way that I truly wanted to. It is not as obvious as the other songs. Nobody knows it’s about God until they really ask questions.”

Track 6 – In This Bed has PHABO listed as a feature. Jazlyn goes into how their collaborative effort came into existence. “We were looking for a male feature – someone who is an amazing RnB artist. My manager knew PHABO and his manager. We asked around for different features but PHABO made the most sense. He is just so insanely talented – a songwriter and artist. We connected one day and he was a fan of my work – I was like you know who I am? He made his verse in 30 minutes while we were in the studio. His voice really compliments the song and I think that our voices sound so good together. The collaboration came very naturally.”

“I had the name of the project first and then I made the songs. How I did it was I asked myself what is something that I’ve struggled with – my identity. I then thought to myself what would be a cool title which led to the name Identity Crisis. I then mapped out time and categorised them to 7 and each song would be about these identity crises.”

Track 5 – Stuck In The Middle reflects the conflicting thoughts of following a career and having to balance family expectations. “When I made that I felt really conflicted. My family is here in LA and I do see them a lot but there were times when I had events or I had to work. I would feel guilty at family gatherings – sometimes my family is not super understanding which adds even more shame and guilt to my plate. I was stuck in the middle of that. Should I focus on myself and focus on my career so that I can get to a good place or should I spend more time with my family? Another thing that I was stuck on was do I be myself or shrink within myself. Even with love do I find love or do I find my peace? All of those things were going through my head – which road should I choose? I don’t think that each road is wrong but because of that I was stuck in the middle.”

As we conclude our interview Jazlyn speaks about her role in Bel Air where she plays the role of Jackie, and the start of her acting career. “My acting career didn’t start that long ago – probably about 4/5 years ago, which was when I started to take it seriously. I knew that I could act and I knew that I loved performing but acting was always last. Even though the music was the one that ended up being last. I was always singing growing up and doing musicals. I just never put out music. At that point acting was last for me. I went to school for a year and thought to myself that I didn’t need a degree to do what I wanted to do. There are a lot of memorable moments. I think on set we have a lot of fun and we joke around. It is a family. I think just the reception I get from Jackie from other people. People would say that I see myself in you and I see myself in Jackie. Thank you for telling my story. Those moments are really beautiful to me because art is such a beautiful reflection of reality and life.  

I think that everyone’s story deserves to be told. I have the honour and privilege to be able to tell their stories on screen. I love to hear how people resonate with the show and resonate with my character. It is always such a crazy experience because sometimes I feel like I just act or say words. But it is so much more than that – it’s showcasing the human experience. You even see how easily people can demonise the human experience – I don’t like this character because she is like this. A lot of the time the things we don’t like in ourselves are what we don’t like in other people.”