Kelly attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1995 with a degree in Communication Studies and a focus on Performance Studies. She later received her Master’s in Music: Studio Technology from Southern Utah University.

While at UNC-Chapel Hill, Sibby Anderson-Thompkins was her academic advisor and assistant dean in the Dean of Students and Academic Advising office and is now a lifelong friend of Kelly’s. She said Kelly’s music cannot be fit into a single box and described it as having an eclectic vibe with a mix of funk, R&B, jazz, earthy and soulful sounds.

“What truly sets her music apart from other artists is her deep, raw, raspy voice and her ability as a master storyteller,” Anderson-Thompkins said. “Jasmé bares her soul, sharing with her audiences her own experiences of love and loss, joy and heartache.”

Rebecca Newton, musician, producer and director for the live events at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, has worked with Kelly over the past 12 years on a number of shows that she produced, including the show “Women in Rock and Blues.” She said she also sees her at music gigs one or two times a year.

“Jasmé’s music is soul stirring,” Newton said. “She has a rich tone and carries plenty of emotion in her music. She is a committed musician. Anyone who commits to their art gets 50 stars in my world.”

Kelly released her single, “Sunny Day (Apple Juice Kid Mix),” in August. Apple Juice Kid helped edit the track and produce the song and is also a UNC-CH alum. She wrote the song during the pandemic in 2020 and said it “makes you feel good.”

“It’s all about that feel-good, youthful freedom,” she said. “It’s that song in the movie on a road trip. We know vitamin D is activated with sunshine and that naturally makes people happy, and most people’s depression is because they aren’t getting enough sunshine.”

She waited to publish it until the song “felt right.” She said she was looking for the right person to elevate the song with a rap, and the artist B. Soleil was the one.

“I waited until I found the right person who could put the rap in,” she said. “And when Soleil did that, it was ready. I was like, ‘This is what I needed. That’s the answer.’”

The song hit 60,000 streams on Spotify in November.

Anderson-Thompkins said “Sunny Day” reminded her of the feeling of driving with the top down in her convertible when she was younger.

“Her music unearths forgotten memories or makes me want to dance my troubles away,” she said. “At other times, her music exposes old wounds that still need healing.”

Kelly is currently working on another single, “Gypsy Soul,” that is expected to come out in January. She said she is hoping to come out with a new album next spring.

The new album will be focused on the emotions of freedom and joy. She got inspiration for the album from battling depression and evil in her own life. She said leaning into freedom and joy was the solution.

Newton said she is excited that Kelly is getting more attention after her years of hard work.

“I admire her tenacity and persistence,” Newton said. “She has not given up where many would have. She doesn’t have the true option of giving up. It’s who she is. She is being true to herself, and we can’t do any better than that in life.”

Kelly previously released two albums, “And So It Goes” in 2003 and “Lady Jasmé” in 2016. She has been singing since she was two years old and has experience in the theater industry.

Aside from writing and producing new songs, Kelly is currently a choir director at St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Durham. She said her singing began in the church. She also works at Soul City CDC in Warren County, North Carolina, where she manages a recording studio and its programming.

She has begun working with the newly formed North Carolina Music Office, an organization dedicated to promoting and celebrating North Carolina’s musicians and musical culture, to make it easier for musicians to live in North Carolina.

Kelly said that North Carolinians are incredibly talented but there are few resources for them compared to big cities like New York.

“This place is made for college students and people who have kids,” she said. “Musicians have different needs.”

She said there is no concrete music industry infrastructure. She said she is often seen as “high-risk” when she tells people she is a musician.

“If I say I’m a musician, I’m not getting hired,” she said. “Regardless of how qualified I am, they’re going to take a person who has no dreams. Even though I have a degree from UNC, they’re not going to give me that job. So then I have to play music.”

Kelly said another issue of being a musician in Durham is what to do in the daytime since her gigs are usually at night.

“Everyone else does work during the day, so who do you hang out with and where do you go?” she said. “Where can I play music during the day? Where can I gather with other people in my profession during the day?”

She said that many talented artists live in Durham such as Nnenna Freelon and Aaron Mills, which is one reason why she stays.

“You come here because you can live and walk amongst these people,” she said. “You can create here and get that good richness and that good soul feeding.”

Regardless of where Kelly resides, she said she will always be called to music.

“Music is the only thing that I completely lock down and pay attention to,” she said. If I do not play music, my whole life is jacked. It just doesn’t work.”

Newton said Kelly was born to play.

“She is one of the rare people who plays because she needs to,” Newton said. “She was born to play. Music is who she is. She must play.”

Kelly said music is special because it is something that she can do forever and is excited to release her new music for the public to enjoy. She said she is looking forward to meeting more people through her music.

Anderson-Thompkins said Kelly deserves all the critical attention she is currently experiencing for her music.

“I have known her for 30 years and watched her grow and mature into an amazing woman and evolve into a dynamic artist, songwriter and producer,” Anderson-Thompkins said. “She was just learning guitar while she was a student at Carolina. I didn’t have the heart to tell her how rough she sounded at the time. And I’m glad I didn’t!”