Yasmin Williams

Yasmin Williams (born May 31, 1997) is an American composer and fingerstyle guitarist from Northern Virginia.

Early life and education Williams grew up in the town of Woodbridge in Northern Virginia. In December 2017, she graduated from New York University with a degree in music theory and composition.

Musical career Yasmin Williams performing in September 2024 at the Roadrunner.

2009–2012: Beginnings and Serendipity Williams became inspired to start learning guitar on her own after playing Guitar Hero II. From there Williams also became proficient in bass, twelve-string guitar, and classical guitar, before deciding to adopt the acoustic guitar as her primary instrument. Pitchfork described her musical approach: "Williams’ inventive style, which has also involved wearing tap shoes and taking a cello bow to her instrument, has made her stand out in the field of solo guitarists."

2020-2024: Urban Driftwood and Acadia Williams's second studio album, Urban Driftwood, released in 2021 through Spinster Records, was written in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown and was influenced by the Black Lives Matter protests during that summer.

In 2024, she released her third studio album, Acadia, through Nonesuch Records. The album entered the UK Album Downloads Chart, peaking at #100, and the UK Americana Chart, peaking at #39.

2025 In April 2025, Williams emailed Richard Grenell, interim executive director of the Kennedy Center, expressing concern about DEI rollbacks and other changes made by President Donald Trump. She stated, "These events have caused a major negative reaction in my musical community to playing at the Kennedy Center, with lots of individuals I know ultimately canceling their shows there". In his reply, Grenell stated, "Every single person who cancelled a show did so because they couldn’t be in the presence of Republicans," and "I cut the DEI bullshit because we can’t afford to pay people for fringe and niche programming that the public won’t support". In September 2025, Grenell's office reserved seats for a group of Log Cabin Republicans who organized a disruption of Williams's performance at the center.

Discography

Albums Unwind (self-released, 2018) Urban Driftwood (Spinster, 2021) Acadia (Nonesuch, 2024)

Soundtrack Albums Saving Etting Street (original film score) (self-released, 2026)

EPs Serendipity (self-released, 2012)

Singles I Wonder (2018) Take That Step (2019) (featuring Jason Bembry) Dragonfly (2020) Nova to be (2022) (with Dobrotto) Doc's Guitar (2023) Dawning (2023) (featuring Aoife O'Donovan, Kafari & Nic Gareiss) Virga (2024) (featuring Darlingside) Hummingbird (2024) (featuring Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves)