Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is a
R&B; and
soul music singer and
songwriter from
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. She is also the
protégé of rapper
Missy Elliott. Her debut single "
Need U Bad" reached number one on
Billboards
Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while her second single, "
Bust Your Windows" peaked at number four. Elements of
reggae,
dub,
pop,
jazz,
Neo soul and
doo-wop can be heard in her work. Jazmine cites singers
Kim Burrell,
Dorinda Clark Cole,
Lady Saw, and
Changing Faces as her biggest influences and inspirations.
Biography
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Jazmine Sullivan grew up the middle sister between an older brother and younger brother. Her mother Pam is a former backup singer for
Philadelphia International Records. When she was 5 years old, her father landed a position as a curator for the city's
Historic Strawberry Mansion in the
Strawberry Mansion section, and her family moved into the historical landmark. Sullivan struggled to assimilate at school. She is a 2005 graduate of the
Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts where she was a vocal music major.
Sullivan began singing in the children’s choir, then a few years later in the adult choir.
Sullivan’s exposure to secular music was initially limited, "I was doing solos in church and someone wanted me to sign to a gospel label when I was eleven but I wasn’t ready to do that," she recalls. "Then when McDonald’s had a competition for kids in major cities, I got a chance to perform 'Accept What God Allows' on It's Showtime at the Apollo and the audience responded really well". She sang with Stevie Wonder at his grandson's birthday at the age of 13. Sullivan was initially signed to Jive Records at the age 16. There, she recorded an entire album titled Break My Little Heart, but the album was never released and Sullivan was dropped from the label. She maintained a working relationship with Missy Elliott, who had produced some of the tracks for Heart, and continued writing songs until she landed her current deal at J Records.
Music career
Songwriting (2004—present)
Before releasing her debut album, a song that Jazmine had written and recorded with producers
Cool & Dre titled "
Say I" was given to Dre's then-girlfriend
Christina Milian for her third album,
So Amazin'. The song became the lead single, peaking at #13 on the
Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart as well as #21 on the Hot 100.
After achieving her own success (she co-wrote her entire debut), Jazmine went on to pen songs for Jennifer Hudson,Monica and Fantasia Barrino.
2008-2009: Fearless
Sullivan first appeared on the music mainstream scene with her debut single "
Need U Bad", released in May 2008. The song, which featured additional vocals by
Missy Elliott and
Sandy "Pepa" Denton of
Salt-n-Pepa fame, went to number one on the
Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and also peaked at number thirty-seven on the
Billboard Hot 100.
Sullivan's debut album Fearless was released on September 23, 2008. Sullivan wrote every song on the album, and she served as a producer alongside Missy Elliott, Salaam Remi and Peter Edge. The album received production from Elliott, Remi, Stargate, Carvin & Ivan, Jack Splash, and Fisticuffs. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top R&B;/Hip Hop Albums chart and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200. The album is nearing an RIAA Gold certification, as the album has sold 510,000 records in the US so far.
Sullivan followed up her successful debut single with the second single from Fearless, "Bust Your Windows", which was released in September 2008 and reached number four on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number thirty-one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her most successful single on that chart to date. "Bust Your Windows" was also nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B; Song, though it did not win the award. "Lions, Tigers & Bears" was released as the album's third single in December 2008. It scored her third consecutive top ten on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart, reaching number ten on that chart, and garnered some mainstream success by reaching number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sullivan later pursued success in the UK when she released "Dream Big" as her first official UK single in February 2009, though it failed to chart there. The song was later released as the fourth US single from the album in April 2009, but also failed to chart there. The album's fifth and final single, "In Love with Another Man", was released in August 2009 and was only moderately successful by reaching number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A sixth single, "Switch!", was going to be released in November 2009, though its release was later canceled.
Sullivan was featured on a song entitled "Smoking Gun" with Jadakiss on his 2009 album The Last Kiss. She was also a supporting act for R&B; singer Maxwell on his highly successful 2008 U.S. tour and was the opening act for Ne-Yo's 2009 Year of the Gentleman Tour. She additionally appeared on Ace Hood's second album, Ruthless, on a song called "Champion". She also participated in the Essence Music Festival in June 2009 and headlined a few dates leading up to her Essence Festival performance with support from R&B; singer/producer Ryan Leslie. In 2009, Sullivan appeared in commercials for Cotton Incorporated. Additionally, Sullivan made a guest appearance on Snoop Dogg's tenth studio album Malice n Wonderland on the song "Different Languages".
2009-present: Love Me Back
Sullivan began working on her sophomore album in 2009. Producers contributing to the album included
Ne-Yo,
Los da Mystro,
Ryan Leslie,
Lamb_(band),
Missy Elliott and
Salaam Remi, who produced the majority of
Fearless. Songs recorded for the album include "Blow", "Don't Make Me Wait" (a tribute to
Prince), and a reported sequel to "Bust Your Windows" titled "You Get On My Nerves", which was co-written by
Ne-Yo.
On January 2, 2011, Jazmine announced that she would be taking a break from music on her twitter account.
Discography
Fearless
Love Me Back
Awards/Nominations
BET Awards
*2009, Best Female R&B; Artist (Nominated)
*2009, Best New Artist (Nominated)
*2009, BET Centric Award (Winner)
*Grammy Awards
*2009, Best New Artist (Nominated)
*2009, Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance: "Need U Bad" (Nominated)
*2009, Best R&B; Contemporary Album: "Fearless" (Nominated)
*2009, Best R&B; Song: "Bust Your Windows" (Nominated)
*2009, Best Traditional R&B; Vocal Performance: "In Love With Another Man" (Nominated)
*2010, Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance: Lions, Tigers & Bears (Nominated)
*2010, Best R&B; Song: Lions, Tigers & Bears (Nominated)
*2011, Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance: "Holding You Down (Goin' In Circles)" (Pending)
*
*2009, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)
*Soul Train Awards
*2009, Best New Artist (Nominated)
*2009, Best R&B; Song, Lions, Tigers and Bears (Nominated)
Filmography
''The Ellen Degeneres Show' (2008) Herself
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2008) (TV series) - Herself
"106 & Park" (2008) (TV series) - Herself
"The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (2009) (TV series) - Herself
"
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2009) (TV series) - Herself
"Good Morning America" (2009) (TV series) - Herself
References
External links
Official website
Jazmine Sullivan interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' September 2009
[ Allmusic page]
Music Review - Jazmine Sullivan - Singing That Sweet Soul Music at S.O.B.’s at New York Times
Myspace page
Category:1995 births
Category:Living people
Category:African American female singers
Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
Category:American soul singers
Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Category:Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Category:Neo soul singers
