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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> |
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> |
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| Name = Jazmine Sullivan |
| Name = Jazmine Sullivan |
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Revision as of 05:09, 7 September 2008
Jazmine Sullivan |
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Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also the protegee of famous R&B singer, Missy Elliott. Her debut single "Need U Bad" featuring Missy Elliott has reached number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Early Life
Raised in North Philadelphia, Jazmine Sullivan grew up in a two-parent household, the middle sister between two brothers. When she was 5 years old, her father landed a position as a curator for the city's Strawberry Mansion, and her family moved into the historical landmark, where they lived rent free. Meanwhile, Jazmine struggled to assimilate at school. “I did not want to be different,” says the singer. “But everything about me was—I lived in a mansion in the ghetto, and I was self-conscious about my voice.”[1]
Still, Sullivan managed to persevere and began singing in the children’s choir, a few years later with the adults, along with her mother. Jazmine’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 ‘Showtime at the Apollo’ and the audience responded really well.”[2]
Sound
Soon after, Sullivan decided that she wanted to sing secular music so her mother started schooling her in classic R&B. “She played me Aretha, Stevie, Donny Hathaway, Phyllis Hyman. This was during the age of hip-hop so I wasn’t into it at first but I soon began to appreciate it.” But clear about her love for music and singing, Jazmine began looking for local places in Philadelphia to perform. One of her first stops was Black Lily, a musical collective started by The Jazzyfatnastees in the mid-to-late ‘90s when Philly was birthing a whole movement of new artists including Jill Scott, The Roots, Floetry and Kindred. “It was booming,” recalls Jazmine. “I started singing with a live band, old school songs like Sly’s ‘Thank You For Lettin’ Me Be Myself’ and Marvin’s ‘What’s Going On.’
It was through performances at Black Lily that Sullivan, along with Kindred, got a chance to perform with the legendary Stevie Wonder. “Fatin and Aja were going to see Stevie and they invited me. He really took to me especially after he heard me sing his song, ‘These Three Words.’ He enjoyed the performance so much that he began to sing with me as we got into a jam session, taking turns riffing. It was so much fun and an experience that I’ll never forget!” That impromptu performance led to Jazmine’s appearance on Wonder’s annual “Toys for Tots” show in Los Angeles with Kirk Franklin, Jill Scott and others. Word of mouth of Jazmine’s amazing vocal talents quickly spread but it was a re-encounter with Missy Elliott, who took Sullivan into a Miami studio with partner Timbaland, which made various records labels pay attention.
Music career
Jazmine's debut album Fearless is set for a September 23, 2008 release. As an Executive Producer and sole songwriter on Fearless, Sullivan (along with her mother, Missy Elliott, Salaam Remi and Peter Edge) has orchestrated a debut opus full of lush musical arrangements by Elliott, Remi, Stargate, Jack Splash, and Fistacuffs.
Discography
Albums
- 2008: Fearless
Singles
Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |
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US Hot 100 | US R&B | |||
2008 | "Need U Bad" (featuring Missy Elliott) | 41 | 1 | Fearless |