DIVISION I I M E A C sports BY KYLE SERBA HIGH JUMPER HITS HIGH NOTES BY KYLE SERBA ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Jazmen Flagler's dorm room is not just where the North Carolina Central Uni- versity junior crashes after a long day of psychology classes and practice as a member of the Eagles’ track and field team. The space doubles as her recording studio. Flagler uses the webcam on her laptop to record herself singing, and then posts those videos to her YouTube page (www.YouTube.com/jazmensafina). STUDENT-ATHLETE She takes advantage of the popu- AND SINGER lar social media platform to show- SONGWRITER case her vocal gifts in hopes of JAZMEN FLAGLER turning something she loves to do BUILDS A FOLLOW- into a career. ING ON YOUTUBE

So far, so good. Since her first YouTube tured and developed their daughter's talent. post in November 2007, Flagler's 61 vid- When she was 5, she performed her first solo eos have drawn more than 63,000 views — and realized the power she held in her voice and counting. when she saw people in the audience in Her journey to budding internet star- tears. “Wow,” she recalls thinking. “I guess dom began at age 3 when she started singing I’m pretty good at this.” in the gospel choir at her family's church, Flagler listened to Michael Jackson Mt. Olive A.M.E. Zion in Durham. Her and New Edition with her father, stroll- parents, both singers and songwriters, nur- ing around her north Durham home with

FALL 2012 NCCU NOW 53 lyrics to “Candy Girl” rolling off her lips. triple jump as a sweaty, intense athlete in Her mother exposed her to Sade, who be- front of several thousand spectators in New came an inspiration. Nowadays, she prefers York City, then transforms into a glamor- Erykah Badu, Corinne Bailey Rae, Jill Scott, ous, soulful songstress on stage before a few Chrisette Michele, Alicia Keys and Beyonce. thousand of her fellow students in NCCU’s “The more soulful artists have influenced McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. me,” she says. “I have a raspy voice, so they Still, she finds time to settle in to her help me embrace my raspiness.” dorm room, her musical sanctuary, to re- As Flagler moved to middle school, she cord and share her songs. refined her skill by performing in school Her efforts have yielded attention across musicals, drama club and chorus. Her fa- the country. She receives invitations to per- ther purchased recording software for her form with fellow musicians, for producers while she was in sixth grade, but she didn’t and at area college homecoming concerts. fully master the computer resource until She is blown away by the response and the high school. During the summer before new opportunities flowing her way thanks 10th grade, she recorded her first song, www.YouTube.com/jazmensafina to her social media outreach. titled, “I’m in Love with You.” She posted Visitors to her YouTube page witness the track on MySpace and it became an Flagler's evolution through her teen years. instant hit with her peers. She exudes confidence and comfort with Her popularity grew with each memo- her audience, often flashing her warm smile. rable high school talent show performance, She's real. The variety of her appearance often featuring background singers and “ MY FOCUS IS demonstrates growth and a fondness for choreographed routines. Classmates voted MAKING GOOD change. Her voice is aged, well beyond her Flagler “Most Likely to be Famous.” MUSIC AND youthful years. At 16, brimming with confidence and After numerous recordings of other art- encouragement by those around her, she DOING WHAT I ists' popular music and distributing videos traveled to New Jersey with her father for LOVE TO DO. with her own unique spin on them, Flagler's an audition with “American Idol.” After I WANT PEOPLE most recent creation is an ambitious com- waiting more than 10 hours for her oppor- pilation of self-written songs based on ac- tunity, Flagler belted out Jill Scott’s “Hate TO APPRECIATE tual life experiences. The collection, entitled on Me” in front of a stadium packed with WHAT I DO, THE “The Pain of Pleasure,” features one song reality TV hopefuls. Proud of her perfor- STORIES I TELL so touching to Flagler she breaks into tears mance, she anxiously awaited the decision. during the recording. After a host of compliments and with her AND THE HARD She sees this project as a huge next step excitement building, the producer uttered WORK THAT I in her music career. While it has been easy those dreaded words: “You’re not what we PUT INTO ALL for her to sing other people's songs, she are looking for right now.” finds sharing her own music scary. “These Devastated, she walked off the stage in OF THIS.” are my words, my experiences, coming from tears. “I thought I was done,” she recalls. — j a z m e n f l a g l e r my heart,” she says. “I am sensitive about “I didn’t want to sing anymore.” my music.” However, when Flagler returned to While many aspiring artists are driven North Carolina, a friend comforted her by by the desire to obtain fame and fortune, saying that it was just not God’s plan for at South Granville High School, where she Flagler’s goal is more personal. “My focus is her, and she has to make it another way. earned all-state honors as a jumping special- making good music and doing what I love The message reignited Flagler's pas- ist and was chosen as the conference field to do,” she says. “I want people to appreci- sion for singing, and she got serious about athlete of the year. That recognition captured ate what I do, the stories I tell and the hard using social media as a vehicle to share her the attention of NCCU track and field head work that I put into all of this." gift with the world. “I wanted people to coach Michael Lawson, who offered Flagler Her hard work produces amazing emo- hear me,” she says. a scholarship. After careful consideration tional and inspirational results. She posted self-made music videos and and discovering that assistant coach Marino “When someone tells me that the story clips of high school performances to her Drake is a former Olympic high jumper, she in a song really did something for them, YouTube page, created a Facebook fan page, decided to become an Eagle. that’s a greater feeling than anything money and used Twitter to network and drive traf- At NCCU she continues to balance can give me," Flagler says. “Knowing that fic to her videos. her commitments as a psychology major, I helped someone, that’s the main thing. I Meanwhile, she also established herself a student-athlete and an up-and-coming want to help people. People that don’t have as an accomplished track and field athlete singer. She competes in the high jump and a voice, I want to be their voice.” 

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