Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B and soul singer-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]
Jazmine Sullivan
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, atop 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 first number one 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).
Life and career[edit]
1987–2006: Early life[edit]
Jazmine Sullivan's parents are Don and Pam Sullivan.[3] Her mother is 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]
Musical style[edit]
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. 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]
Personal life[edit]
On May 11, 2020, Sullivan announced that her mother Pam had been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in October 2019.[93][94] In her Instagram post 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 passed away two days earlier on July 22.[95]
