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 Billboard's 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.[1]
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.[2]
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".[3] 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.
[edit] Music career
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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".
[edit] 2009-present: Love Me Back
Sullivan began working on her sophomore album in 2009.[4] Producers
contributing to the album included Ne-Yo, Los da Mystro, Ryan Leslie,
Lamb_(band), Missy Elliott[5] and Salaam Remi[citation needed], 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.[5]
Love Me Back, Sullivan's sophomore album, is scheduled to be released
on November 30, 2010.[4] The album was completed in June 2010. The
album has been preceded by the lead single, "Holding You Down
(Goin' In Circles)", which was released on July 10, 2010. The
single has reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Songs chart.
The album's second single, "10 Seconds", was released
to radio airplay in late September, and has since then peaked at
a position of 31 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song was at
first to be released on October 25, but has now been confirmed for
a November 22 release; the music video for the single was released
on November 12.
In early December 2010, Billboard honoured Sullivan as the 'Rising
Star' for 2010.[6]
On January 2, 2011, Jazmine announced that she would be taking a
break from music on her twitter account.[7]
[edit] Discography
Main article: Jazmine Sullivan discography
* Fearless
* Love Me Back
[edit] Awards/Nominations
* BET Awards
o 2009, Best Female R&B Artist (Nominated)
o 2009, Best New Artist (Nominated)
o 2009, BET Centric Award (Winner)
* Grammy Awards
o 2009, Best New Artist (Nominated)
o 2009, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Need U Bad" (Nominated)
o 2009, Best R&B Contemporary Album: "Fearless" (Nominated)
o 2009, Best R&B Song: "Bust Your Windows" (Nominated)
o 2009, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "In Love With Another
Man" (Nominated)
o 2010, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Lions, Tigers & Bears (Nominated)
o 2010, Best R&B Song: Lions, Tigers & Bears (Nominated)
o 2011, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Holding You Down (Goin'
In Circles)" (Pending)
* Image Awards
o 2009, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)
* Soul Train Awards
o 2009, Best New Artist (Nominated)
o 2009, Best R&B Song, Lions, Tigers and Bears (Nominated)
[edit] 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[8]
* "Good Morning America" (2009) (TV series) - Herself