IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Carson Daly helps 19-year-old singer perform a duet with Jewel

Jasmine Chesbro has always looked up to the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, so she jumped at the chance to interview the star.
/ Source: TODAY

Music has always been a major part of 19-year-old Jasmine Chesbro's life.

According to the teenager, her mother named her Jasmine after jazz music: When she was in the womb, her mother would play it and Chesbro would do "flips and dance and stuff," she said. Now, she uses music as a creative outlet to cope with her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"I grew up with ADHD and that was a huge struggle," Chesbro told TODAY's Carson Daly. "I was very distracted; I had so much energy. My mom did not know what to do with me. ... People with ADHD tend to hyperfocus, and that's just me with music. I just hyperfocus to cope (and) to get that creative energy out."

Raised by a single mom, Chesbro said that her childhood was hard but eventually she started taking piano lessons.

"I remember my mom and grandma forcing me to practice piano for at least two hours every day," Chesbro said. "It was hard, and I didn't want to do it. But they got me motivated to do better. Music is so important to me that without it, I literally don't know how I would survive."

Chesbro currently studies psychology, with a goal of reaching people through music like her hero, "You Were Meant for Me" singer Jewel. To help her reach her goal, Carson and TODAY connected Chesbro with the singer-songwriter for an interview.

Carson advised that Chesbro ask "questions that you genuinely want to know" during the Zoom interview.

Jasmine Chesbro was able to interview singer Jewel and talk about how she creates her music.
Jasmine Chesbro was able to interview singer Jewel and talk about how she creates her music. Vimeo

"As soon as she popped up on the Zoom call, I was like, 'Oh my God, this is really happening,'" Chesbro said. The two talked about growing up with music and finding a unique voice. Chesbro even played a sample of one of her songs for Jewel. The interview ended with a surprise: Jewel asked Chesbro to sing Xavier Rudd's "Follow the Sun" with her — an offer that Jasmine said "sort of stopped" her heart.

"Working with Jewel, that was amazing," Chesbro said. "Getting to talk to her and like hear her critiques of my song and just figure out how she makes music — that was just insane. It was literally a dream."

“Tomorrow’s Voices” was created by TODAY with our sponsor and parent company, Comcast, which helped find the students profiled.

Related: