Even in the DIY world of independent music where artists expect to fulfill multiple roles, San Diego-based R&B/soul artist Divina is an overachiever.
On her latest solo release, “Untitled EP,” which came out earlier this year, she not only sang lead vocals and served as the producer, she mixed all four songs, was the engineer and even played the drums on one track.
Wearing so many hats on a project would be a daunting task for most, but Divina Jasso, who goes by just her first name professionally, has an advantage over other artists: she’s been perfecting her craft since the age of 4, thanks to being born into the music industry. Her father is a singer named Anthony Jasso.
Divina says of her art: “I don’t understand anything quite as quick as I do music.” (Photo courtesy of the artist)In a recent interview with Times of San Diego, she said that she’s known for as long as she can remember that she planned on a career in music.
“It was written in the stars,” she said.
“I was very, very blessed with my father being a full-time musician. And so, because of that, he definitely put it in my mind that I could do this full time and that it was possible and it’s not, you know, some fantasy, that it’s a real thing that can be done,” she said.
In addition to her father, Divina also credits her mother, Adriana Castellanos, a dancer and poet who’s working on her first book, for inspiring her.
“I’m so grateful that they both believed in me and believed in the whole dream to just make it happen,” she said. “I feel like since I was born, I don’t understand anything quite as quick as I do music. You know, they say it’s just like when you got (it) in your bones, you got it in your bones. That’s how I feel with music.”
Divina, who was born in San Bernardino and raised in Orange County, moved to San Diego about seven years ago to further her music career. During those seven years, she’s become a vital part of San Diego’s urban music scene and is known as the primary vocalist for the award-winning dubhop/reggae/global music band Boostive.
She’s also collaborated with a number of other artists in the greater San Diego region, including fellow vocalists Helena Hollaren and Jasmine Bailey.
Her “Untitled” EP, which was released March 13, is a collection of mellow-smooth R&B and soul that serves as an appetizer for her full-length solo debut which she’s working on when not busy performing shows. She’s appeared as both a headliner and in support of well-regarded homegrown acts like Mitchum Yacoub, the Sure Fire Soul Ensemble and more.
As a versatile artist, her talents extend beyond singing and playing instruments. She’s also an accomplished DJ and spins records for crowds at occasional gigs. The art of turntablism is something she picked up partially from watching her brother, who later gave her his gear.
“He left me his turntables and his mixer and he left me all his records, too,” she said. “I used to (DJ at) house parties. I would take his decks and stuff and I would take him to house parties.”
She also credits the late hip-hop producer J. Dilla as an inspiration.
“One of my favorite producers of all time,” she said.
At her next gig, however, she’ll be solely on vocals, not the decks. Divina is one of three artists performing Saturday at the Logan Heights live music venue The Silo Room. She’s scheduled to take the stage after opener DAUCHÉ (aka Dauché Bates), a San Diego-based DJ and producer, and before Teebs, a Los Angeles-based music producer and visual artist.
The gig is the latest in a string of dates she’s had as a headliner and opener in and around Southern California – 15 total in San Diego and North County in the month of June alone. Her live shows help make her a rarity when it comes to musicians in San Diego: she’s an artist who’s able to focus on music as a full-time job without a steady side hustle.
“I’m so grateful to call myself a full-time musician and that this pays the bills,” she said.
A little further out on the horizon is her full-length debut album which, for now, is still in the planning stages, but could be released in 2027 via Yacoub’s All-Town Sound label.
“I’m thinking about having a full band,” she said about the recording process. “As much as I’ve wanted to do everything on my own, and while that’s all beautiful, I think it’s even more beautiful of an experience when you have your whole community together and you’re able to make it something even more incredible for the sake of the music, no matter who did what, and give everybody their flowers.”
“I that that that’s the way I want to go about it,” she added. “Because it’ll make it that much more great.”
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