Jazmine Sullivan | |
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 Sullivan in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Jazmine Marie Sullivan (1987-04-09)April 9, 1987 (age 38) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Occupations |
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| Works | Jazmine Sullivan discography |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | jazminesullivanmusic |
Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an AmericanR&B singer and songwriter. She has won twoGrammy Awards, aBillboard Women in Music Award, and twoBET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022,Time placed her on their list of the100 Most Influential People.[2]
Born and raised inPhiladelphia, she signed withJ Records to release her debut studio album,Fearless (2008). It peaked at number six on theBillboard 200, topped theBillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and receivedplatinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Two of its singles, "Need U Bad" and "Bust Your Windows", peaked within the top 40 of theBillboard Hot 100; the former became Sullivan's only number one song on theBillboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Her second album,Love Me Back (2010), peaked at number 17 on theBillboard 200 and saw further critical praise. After a three-year hiatus, Sullivan signed withRCA Records (successor to J Records) to release her third album,Reality Show (2015). Met with continued success, it peaked at number 12 on the chart and earned three Grammy Award nominations. Her fourth studio album,Heaux Tales (2021), debuted at number four on theBillboard 200 and was met with widespread critical acclaim, supported by the platinum-certified singles "Pick Up Your Feelings" and "Girl like Me" (featuringH.E.R.).
Jazmine Sullivan's parents are Don and Pam Sullivan.[3] Her mother was a former backup singer forPhiladelphia International Records.[4] When she was five years old, her father landed a position as a curator for the city'sHistoric Strawberry Mansion in theStrawberry Mansion section ofPhiladelphia, and her family moved into the historical landmark.[5]
Sullivan is a 2005 graduate of thePhiladelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts where she was a vocal music major.[6] Sullivan began singing as a contralto in the children's choir, and later in the adult choir. Sullivan's exposure tosecular music was initially limited.[7]
At fifteen, Sullivan signed toJive Records. She recorded an album, which was never released, and she was eventually dropped from the label.[6] Sullivan provided vocals forKindred the Family Soul's song "I Am", as well as background vocals on the song "Party's Over", and the title track to their 2003 debut,Surrender to Love.[8][9] She first met rapperMissy Elliott during the session; Elliott went on to produce both the majority of her debut album,Fearless, and tracks onLove Me Back. Sullivan wrote and recorded with producersCool & Dre a song titled "Say I"; it was given to Dre's then-girlfriendChristina Milian for her third album,So Amazin'.[10] The song became the lead single, peaking at number 13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs as well as reaching number 21 on theHot 100 chart.[11] Sullivan's breakthrough song, "Need U Bad", was released in May 2008.[12] The song, featuring additional vocals byMissy Elliott andSandy "Pepa" Denton ofSalt-n-Pepa, later debuted at number 37 on theBillboard Hot 100, and was on top of theHot R&B/Hip Hop Songs for 34 weeks.[13]
Sullivan's debut album,Fearless, was released on September 23, 2008.[14] At the time, she wrote and composed many of its songs and served as the album's executive producer alongsideMissy Elliott,Salaam Remi, and Peter Edge.[15] The album received production from Elliott, Remi,Stargate,Carvin & Ivan,Jack Splash, and Fisticuffs.[16]Fearless debuted at number 1 on theTop R&B/Hip Hop Albums and at number 6 on theBillboard 200.[17][18] Sullivan followed her début single with the release of the second single fromFearless, "Bust Your Windows", which reached number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her most successful single on that chart to date.[19][20][21] "Bust Your Windows" appeared on the first season of the Fox hit television showGlee and was also nominated for aGrammy forBest R&B Song.[22][23][24] In 2014,Stevie Wonder claimed he considered "Bust Your Windows" a classic song.[25] "Lions, Tigers & Bears" was released as the album's third single in December 2008. It scored her third consecutive top ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, reaching number 10, and garnered some mainstream success by reaching number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100.[26] Sullivan later pursued success in the United Kingdom and she first released "Dream Big" as a single in the UK in February 2009.[27][28] The song was released as the fourth and final single from the album in April 2009.[29] The album has a platinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America and has sold more than 510,000 copies in the United States.[30]
Sullivan was featured on a song entitled "Smoking Gun" withJadakiss on his third studio albumThe Last Kiss.[31][32] The song was influenced by a family friend, Devonte Wongwai, from New York City, who wanted to hear the duo on a record. She was also a supporting act for fellow AmericanR&B singerMaxwell on his 2008 US tour and was the opening act forNe-Yo's 2009Year of the Gentleman Tour.[33][34] She additionally appeared onAce Hood's second studio album,Ruthless, on the song "Champion".[35] She went on to headline a few dates withRyan Leslie, before participating in theEssence Music Festival in June 2009.[36] In the same year Sullivan appeared in commercials forCotton Incorporated.[37] Additionally Sullivan made a guest appearance onSnoop Dogg's tenth studio album,Malice n Wonderland, on the song "Different Languages".[38]
Sullivan began working on her second album,Love Me Back, in 2009.[39] Producers contributing to the album includedMissy Elliott,[40]Lamb,Ne-Yo, Anthony Bell,Los da Mystro,Ryan Leslie, andSalaam Remi,[41] who was also a major contributor toFearless. Songs recorded for the album include "Love You Long Time", "Don't Make Me Wait" (a tribute toPrince), "Redemption", "Excuse Me", "Good Enough", and the reported sequel to "Bust Your Windows" titled "You Get On My Nerves", which was co-written byNe-Yo.[40] The album was completed in June 2010 and released on November 30, 2010.[39][42] The album debuted at number 17 on theBillboard 200 and sold 57,000 copies in its first week.[43]
In an interview withNational Public Radio, Sullivan explained that the album was about her personal experiences, stating:[44]
"It's very therapeutic for me at times to just sit down and write lyrics and music, As I look at all of the songs that I've written, I see now that some of them have been a little too personal. When I was younger, I was very quick to react. 'Bust Your Windows' shows that part of me, but now I feel like I'll think about my reaction and take my time, and react 10 seconds later, I live life and it gives me the material to write for the next album."
The album's lead single, "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)", was released on July 10, 2010.[45] The song debuted at number 60 on theBillboard Hot 100.[46] The music video for the song premiered on August 30, 2010.[47] The song would later be nominated for aGrammy Award forBest Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2011. The album's second single, "10 Seconds", was released to radio airplay in late September, and debuted at number 15 theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[48] The song was released for digital download on October 25, 2010.[49] An accompanying music video was later filmed and was released on November 12, 2010.[50]
In early December 2010,Billboard honored Sullivan as the 'Rising Star' for 2010.[51] Later she announced that she was working on her third studio album.[52] In January 2011, Sullivan announced via Twitter that she was indefinitely leaving the music industry, saying, "I promised myself when it wasn't fun anymore I wouldn't do it. And, here I am. I'm not saying I won't ever sing again in my life because I don't believe that. But in this moment… right now… [I] got some things to figure out".[53] On October 7,RCA Records announced it was disbandingJ Records along withArista Records andJive Records. With the shutdown Sullivan (along with all of the artists previously signed to the three labels) were removed from the label and later redirected to RCA, all being moved to that label's roster.[54][55]
In 2014, Sullivan returned to music with the announcement of her new album,Reality Show. In an interview withBillboard, Sullivan described her return as inevitable, saying she "...can't escape [her] calling".[56] She based her albumReality Show on watching reality shows during her hiatus, which inspired the namesake. The album consists of 14 songs, and features production fromKey Wane andSalaam Remi.[56] The lead single, "Dumb", featuring American rapperMeek Mill, was released on May 12, 2014.[57][58] The song debuted at number 45 on theR&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.[59] The second single, "Forever Don't Last", was released on September 16, 2014.[60] It peaked at number 10 on theAdult R&B Songs chart.[61]
On January 13, 2015, Jazmine Sullivan releasedReality Show to widespread critical acclaim, with the album reaching number one on theBillboard R&B Albums and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[62]Reality Show sold 30,000 copies in its first week.Slant Magazine commented, "Despite what the rasp in her voice might suggest, Sullivan clearly sees herself as something other than R&B's next great queen of pain. Her central themes—love and self-image—don't stray far from genre convention, but her musical versatility and keenly observed characters make her one of the most captivating artists in R&B today."[63] The album earned Sullivan three Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Album and Best Traditional R&B Performance ("Let It Burn").[64]
In 2016, Sullivan was featured in thevisual albumEndless byFrank Ocean.[65][66] Sullivan lent her vocals to four songs from the album: "Alabama", "Wither", "Hublots", and "Rushes". Sullivan was the lead writer for these four songs onMary J. Blige's albumStrength of a Woman, and sang backup vocals on the first three of them: "Thick of It", "Set Me Free", "Glow Up", and "Thank You."[67][68] She in partnership with fellow American singerBryson Tiller released "Insecure" for the soundtrack for thesecond season of theHBO series of the same title.[69] Also in 2016 she performed the national anthem at the first game of the2016 NHL Stadium Series atTCF Bank Stadium featuring theChicago Blackhawks andMinnesota Wild. In 2019, Sullivan was featured onPentatonix's Christmas collectionThe Best of Pentatonix Christmas on the group's cover of "Joyful, Joyful".
In August 2020, Sullivan announced the release of a new song titled "Lost One", marking her return to music.[70] Within hours of the announcement, the phrase "New Jazmine" trended on Twitter across the United States.[71] The song was released the next day along with the confirmation of her fourth studio album,Heaux Tales.[72] Sullivan released the second single, "Pick Up Your Feelings", on November 20, 2020.[73]Heaux Tales was released on January 8, 2021. With first-week sales of 42,000 copies, the album debuted at number four on the USBillboard 200 chart and earning Sullivan her highest-peaking album on the chart.[74]
In February 2021, it was announced that Sullivan was nominated for the52nd NAACP Image Awards, which took place on March 27, 2021. She competed with artists such asBeyoncé,H.E.R.,Ledisi, andAlicia Keys for theOutstanding Female Artist category. On February 7, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" alongside country artistEric Church atSuper Bowl LV.[75] In May, she earned the first singlegold certification ofHeaux Tales with "Pick Up Your Feelings".[76]
On June 24, 2021, Sullivan released "Tragic".[77] On June 27, she performed "Tragic" at the2021 BET Awards along with "On It" (featuringAri Lennox).[78][79] She was awarded theBET Award for Album of the Year that night.[80]
Also in 2021, Sullivan teamed up with soul singer-songwriterCurtis Harding on the duet "Our Love", for the soundtrack of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix seriesArcane.
Sullivan also recorded the ending-credit version of the song "Come To Your Senses" for the musicalTick, Tick... Boom!
In 2023,Rolling Stone ranked Sullivan at number 182 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[81]
Sonically, Sullivan's voice alternates between "modern productions" and a "1980s-influenced sound" which music critics say gives her "old-school hip hop sound".[82][83] Her voice type isAlto.[84]InStyle said that she has a "raspy voice".[85] She describes her writing style as "flashbacks", in reference to her songs about failed relationships that were both physically and emotionally abusive.[86][87] Her music displays her responses to these relationships famously with her song "Bust Your Windows".[88] She likes to write about how she is feeling, which in turn, taking a day or up to a month to complete.[89] During the recording of the albumReality Show, Sullivan spent so much time revising and re-recording that the producers had to force her to release the album to prevent a delayed release.[90] Sullivan is well known for writing her own songs, which amplifies her substantial popularity from both critics and fans.[91]
Sullivan's song "Bust Your Windows" was listed at number 137 onNational Public Radio's list of The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women.[92]
On May 11, 2020, Sullivan announced that her mother Pam had been diagnosed withinflammatory breast cancer in October 2019.[93][94] OnInstagram she wrote: "If being your daughter has taught me one thing it is how to work with something ugly, painful even, and make it a work of art".[93] On July 24, 2023, Sullivan revealed that her mother had died two days earlier.[95]
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