Jazmine Sullivan | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Jazmine Marie Sullivan |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | April 9, 1987
Genres | |
Occupations |
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Discography | Jazmine Sullivan discography |
Years active | 2003–present |
Labels | |
Website | jazminesullivanmusic |
Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, Time placed her on their list of the 100 Most Influential People. [2]
Born and raised in Philadelphia, she signed with J Records to release her debut studio album, Fearless (2008). It peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Two of its singles, "Need U Bad" and "Bust Your Windows", peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100; the former became Sullivan's only number one song on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Her second album, Love Me Back (2010), peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and saw further critical praise. After a three-year hiatus, Sullivan signed with RCA 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 first extended play (EP), Heaux Tales (2021), debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and was met with widespread critical acclaim, supported by the platinum-certified singles "Pick Up Your Feelings" and "Girl like Me" (featuring H.E.R.).
Jazmine Sullivan's parents are Don and Pam Sullivan. [3] Her mother was a former backup singer for Philadelphia International Records. [4] When she was five years old, her father landed a position as a curator for the city's Historic Strawberry Mansion in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia, and her family moved into the historical landmark. [5]
Sullivan is a 2005 graduate of the Philadelphia 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 to secular music was initially limited. [7]
At fifteen, Sullivan signed to Jive Records. She recorded an album, which was never released, and she was eventually dropped from the label. [6] Sullivan provided vocals for Kindred 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 rapper Missy Elliott during the session; Elliott went on to produce both the majority of her debut album, Fearless, and tracks on Love Me Back. Sullivan wrote and recorded with producers Cool & Dre a song titled "Say I"; it was given to Dre's then-girlfriend Christina 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 the Hot 100 chart. [11] Sullivan's breakthrough song, "Need U Bad", was released in May 2008. [12] The song, featuring additional vocals by Missy Elliott and Sandy "Pepa" Denton of Salt-n-Pepa, later debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was on top of the Hot 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 alongside Missy 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 the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and at number 6 on the Billboard 200. [17] [18] Sullivan followed her début single with the release of the second single from Fearless, "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 show Glee and was also nominated for a Grammy for Best 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 the Recording 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" with Jadakiss on his third studio album The 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 American R&B singer Maxwell on his 2008 US tour and was the opening act for Ne-Yo's 2009 Year of the Gentleman Tour. [33] [34] She additionally appeared on Ace Hood's second studio album, Ruthless , on the song "Champion". [35] She went on to headline a few dates with Ryan Leslie, before participating in the Essence Music Festival in June 2009. [36] In the same year Sullivan appeared in commercials for Cotton Incorporated. [37] Additionally Sullivan made a guest appearance on Snoop 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 included Missy Elliott, [40] Lamb, Ne-Yo, Anthony Bell, Los da Mystro, Ryan Leslie, and Salaam Remi, [41] who was also a major contributor to Fearless. Songs recorded for the album include "Love You Long Time", "Don't Make Me Wait" (a tribute to Prince), "Redemption", "Excuse Me", "Good Enough", and the reported sequel to "Bust Your Windows" titled "You Get On My Nerves", which was co-written by Ne-Yo. [40] The album was completed in June 2010 and released on November 30, 2010. [39] [42] The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and sold 57,000 copies in its first week. [43]
In an interview with National 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 the Billboard Hot 100. [46] The music video for the song premiered on August 30, 2010. [47] The song would later be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best 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 the Hot 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 disbanding J Records along with Arista Records and Jive 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 with Billboard, Sullivan described her return as inevitable, saying she "...can't escape [her] calling". [56] She based her album Reality Show on watching reality shows during her hiatus, which inspired the namesake. The album consists of 14 songs, and features production from Key Wane and Salaam Remi. [56] The lead single, "Dumb", featuring American rapper Meek Mill, was released on May 12, 2014. [57] [58] The song debuted at number 45 on the R&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 the Adult R&B Songs chart. [61]
On January 13, 2015, Jazmine Sullivan released Reality Show to widespread critical acclaim, with the album reaching number one on the Billboard 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 the visual album Endless by Frank 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 on Mary J. Blige's album Strength 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 singer Bryson Tiller released "Insecure" for the soundtrack for the second season of the HBO series of the same title. [69] Also in 2016 she performed the national anthem at the first game of the 2016 NHL Stadium Series at TCF Bank Stadium featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild. In 2019, Sullivan was featured on Pentatonix's Christmas collection The 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 extended play (EP), 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 EP debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart and earning Sullivan her highest-peaking album on the chart. [74]
In February 2021, it was announced that Sullivan was nominated for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards, which took place on March 27, 2021. She competed with artists such as Beyoncé, H.E.R., Ledisi, and Alicia Keys for the Outstanding Female Artist category. On February 7, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" alongside country artist Eric Church at Super Bowl LV. [75] In May, she earned the first single gold certification of Heaux Tales with "Pick Up Your Feelings". [76]
On June 24, 2021, Sullivan released "Tragic". [77] On June 27, she performed "Tragic" at the 2021 BET Awards along with "On It" (featuring Ari Lennox). [78] [79] She was awarded the BET Award for Album of the Year that night. [80]
Also in 2021, Sullivan teamed up with soul singer-songwriter Curtis Harding on the duet "Our Love", for the soundtrack of the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series Arcane .
Sullivan also recorded the ending-credit version of the song "Come To Your Senses" for the musical Tick, 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 is contralto. [84] Her voice has a solid agility in all registers and is well connected between an A2 and a G5.[ citation needed ] 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 album Reality 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 on National 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 with inflammatory breast cancer in October 2019. [93] [94] On Instagram 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]
Studio albums
Extended plays
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Chrisette Michele Payne is an American R&B and soul singer. She won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2009 for her song "Be OK".
Fearless is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan. It was released on September 23, 2008, through J Records. Production for the album took place during 2007 to 2008 and was handled by several record producers, including Missy Elliott, Stargate, Carvin & Ivan, Wyclef Jean, Jack Splash and Salaam Remi.
"Need U Bad" is a song performed by American recording artist Jazmine Sullivan from her debut album, Fearless (2008). The song features rapper Missy Elliott, as well as rapper Pepa of rap duo Salt-N-Pepa speaking a Jamaican chant. "Need U Bad" is Sullivan's debut single and the lead single from Fearless. It was first released on May 13, 2008 in the United States by J and Arista Records. The song was co-written by Sullivan in collaboration with Elliott, Cainon Lamb, and Taurian Osbourne. It was produced by Elliott and Lamb. The song uses a sample from Nicholas Taylor Stanton's "Higher Meditation Riddim Version", and Tapper Zukie's "Papa Big Shirt".
Still Standing is the sixth studio album by American R&B singer Monica. It was released on March 19, 2010, by J Records. Recording for the album began in 2007, in which the singer intended to take a more traditional approach to the genre and take away any "gimmicks". As executive producer of the album, Monica enlisted a variety of producers including involvement by Missy Elliott, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate, The Runners and Jermaine Dupri. Production on Still Standing was chronicled by Monica's BET reality series of the same name which aired between October 2009 and January 2010.
"Bust Your Windows" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan from her debut album Fearless. The song was available as a digital download on Amazon in the U.S. on September 16, 2008. The song was then later released as a promo CD on November 15, 2008, after it was sent to radio stations for airplay around the U.S..
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. She began her career in 2002 as part of a Canadian R&B trio X-Quisite, who was nominated for a Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for their self-titled album (2004). She went on to form the duo The Renaissance with hometown native Drake, although they released no albums.
"Everything to Me" is a song by American recording artist Monica. It was written by fellow singer Jazmine Sullivan and co-produced by Missy Elliott and Cainon Lamb for her sixth studio album Still Standing (2010), incorporating a sample of the 1981 recording "Silly" as penned by Fritz Baskett, Clarence McDonald, and June Deniece Williams and performed by Deniece Williams.
"Holding You Down (Goin' In Circles)" is a song by American singer Jazmine Sullivan. It was written by Sullivan, Cainon Lamb, and Missy Elliott for her second album, Love Me Back (2010), while production was helmed by Elliott, with Lamb credited as co-producer. The song was released as the album's leads single in July 2010. It reached number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Love Me Back is the second studio album by American R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan. It was released by J Records on November 30, 2010 in the United States. The follow-up to her 2008 debut album Fearless, Sullivan reteamed with producers Salaam Remi, Missy Elliott, her protégé Cainon Lamb and duo Carvin & Ivan to work on the album. New collaborated included Anthony Bel, Chuck Harmony, Los da Mystro, Bei Maejor, No I.D., and Prolyfic as well as singer Ne-Yo. Sullivan co-wrote every song on Love Me Back.
American singer and songwriter Jazmine Sullivan has released four studio albums and 15 singles. Sullivan signed a record deal with J Records in 2008, and released her debut album Fearless in 2008. The album was immediately certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America while debuting at number one. Fearless has spent 12 weeks atop the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums since its US release. The album's first single, "Need U Bad", also reached number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her first number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The second single, "Bust Your Windows", was released in September 2008 and reached the charts in the US and the UK. It also became her second top forty in the US. "Lions, Tigers & Bears" was released as the third single off the album in late 2008 and became her third top ten in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the US. In 2009, it was confirmed Jazmine would open for American singer Ne-Yo's tour. In February that same year, she released the fourth and final single, "Dream Big".
Jack Splash is an American recording artist, musician, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. Splash's works have won multiple Grammy's and include writing and production on singles for artists such as Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, John Legend, CeeLo Green, Solange Knowles, Mayer Hawthorne, Goodie Mob, Ras Kass, B.o.B, R. Kelly, Pixie Lott, Christina Aguilera, Jazmine Sullivan, Jennifer Hudson, Melanie Fiona, Musiq Soulchild, Tank and the Bangas, K. Michelle, Keyshia Cole, Anthony Hamilton, Dirt Nasty, Estelle, Elijah Blake, Groove Armada, Zap Mama, Raheem DeVaughn, Natasha Bedingfield, Lemar, Kelis, Katy Perry, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Sia, Valerie June, Cimafunk & Rhiannon Giddens.
Cainon Renard Lamb, professionally known as Lamb or Lamb Litty, is an American record producer and songwriter from Miami, Florida. He has worked with artists including Beyoncé, SWV, Missy Elliott, Monica, Keyshia Cole and Jazmine Sullivan. In 2017, Lamb made his rapping debut on colleague Missy Elliott's single "I'm Better".
Reality Show is the third studio album by American R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan. It was released by RCA Records on January 13, 2015, in the United States. Sullivan recorded the album, her first in five years, during a hiatus from the music industry, writing and working with producers such as Anthony Bell, Salaam Remi, and Key Wane. Reality Show received widespread acclaim from critics and sold 30,000 copies in its first week.
"Lions, Tigers & Bears" is the fourth single released from American R&B–soul singer Jazmine Sullivan's debut album Fearless. The song impacted radio on November 11, 2008, and was officially released on December 16, 2008, as the third single. The track received a Grammy Nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and a nomination for Best R&B Song.
Brittany Chikyra Barber is an American singer and songwriter from Compton, California. She released her debut mixtape, AfterHours and its follow-up, HelloSummer, both in 2016. As a songwriter, she has been credited on singles and albums for artists including Ghostface Killah, Queen Naija, Chris Brown, Chrisette Michele, John Legend, YG, Kash Doll, Tyla Yaweh, Eric Bellinger, and Ledisi, among others. She has co-written the songs "No Interruptions" by Chris Brown, "Let Love Rule" by Ledisi, and several for Bhad Bhabie.
Alyssa Michelle Stephens, known professionally as Latto, is an American rapper and singer from Atlanta. She first appeared on Jermaine Dupri's reality television series The Rap Game in 2016, where she was known as Miss Mulatto and won the show's first season, but rejected the award of a recording contract with Dupri's So So Def Recordings.
"Pick Up Your Feelings" is a song by American singer Jazmine Sullivan, released on November 20, 2020, as the second single from her debut extended play (EP), Heaux Tales (2021). The song was written by Sullivan, Audra Mae, Kyle Coleman, Michael Holmes, Brittany Coney, Denisia Andrews and produced by the latter three. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the song received two nominations for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance, winning the latter in a tie with "Leave the Door Open" by Silk Sonic.
Heaux Tales is an EP by American R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan. Released by RCA Records on January 8, 2021, it was her first project since 2015's critically-acclaimed Reality Show. It includes features from Ari Lennox, Anderson .Paak, and H.E.R. The EP was primarily recorded in Sullivan's Philadelphia home.
"Girl like Me" is a song by American singer Jazmine Sullivan featuring American singer H.E.R. It was released on January 6, 2021, as the third single from Sullivan's debut extended play (EP) Heaux Tales (2021). The song was written by Sullivan, H.E.R., and Tarron Crayton, along with its producer, BongoByTheWay.