Sometimes life unfolds in the most unexpected and serendipitous ways. Story time — let’s backtrack to 2011.
It was a year of life-changing events that led to the reunion of longtime artistic collaborators and songwriters Ryan Rathjen and Edward LeBleu. The two friends had a mission: to create a band with a sound that didn’t yet exist in the local scene. And so, VERTTIGO was born. Drawing inspiration from their love of shoegaze, post-punk, and dream pop, Ryan and Ed wrote and recorded 11 demo tracks at a fever pitch. These demos would go on to become the foundation of VERTTIGO’s debut album, Tomorrow Is Gone. At the time, Ryan was also working on a separate project with vocalist and close friend, Jasmine Ming-Wai Ma. Jasmine was the first person to hear the demos — and truly, the first supporter of the project. When it came time to fill the role of female vocalist and guitarist, Jasmine was the natural first choice. Unfortunately, due to the demands of her main project, the timing just wasn’t right.
Fast forward through the years — from 2013 to 2024 — the journey of VERTTIGO took on many forms, both live and in the studio. Along the way, we had the privilege of collaborating with some incredibly talented people, including a few rehearsals with Jasmine in 2021. But again, the timing wasn’t quite right.
That brings us to the spring of 2025, and the stars have finally aligned. We’re thrilled to officially announce Jasmine Ming-Wai Ma as the lead vocalist and guitarist of VERTTIGO! Jasmine was the first person to believe in the band nearly 15 years ago. She’s been a constant supporter and already a part of the VERTTIGO family — even volunteering her stylist talents for a VERTTIGO video project. We couldn’t be happier to welcome her officially into the fold.
And now that it’s official, we’re excited to share that the first three songs from our upcoming debut release, Tomorrow Is Gone, are now streaming on all platforms.