Early life

Jazmine Sullivan was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother Pam is a former backup singer for Philadelphia International Records. 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, and her family moved into the historical landmark. 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 as a contralto 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 15. There, she recorded an entire album, but the album was never released. Sullivan was eventually dropped from the label. She maintained a working relationship with Missy Elliott, who produced a number of the tracks for her debut project, including the buzz single "Backstabbers"—produced by Timbaland and written by Elliott. While unsigned, Sullivan took songwriting into her own hands, and would later re-team with Elliott for her first two studio albums after being signed to J Records in 2007.

Artistry

Sonically, Sullivan alternates between modern productions and an 1980s sound which gives her old school sound. She's a singer with a contralto vocal range and takes vocal inspiration from singers Kim Burrell, Lauryn Hill, and Brandy particularly their "thundering voices" and "smooth runs." Jazmine has a voice with a metallic and raspy ring to it in her upper chest. The lower register remains warm and airy, while still being supported. Her range spans all the way to an A2, while still being clearly audible, to a C6. Jazmine's versatility is also surprising considering how thick her tone is. She can carry all her weight up to G5, while doing some extremely complicated (almost coloratura) runs and melismas. She's often mistaken for a Mezzo Soprano due to her dark, rich and slightly androgynous voice in the lower register. Nonetheless, the middle register remains "bright" but "fragile". She describes her writing style as "flashbacks", in reference to her songs about failed relationships that were both physically and emotionally abusive. Her music displays her responses to these relationships famously with the song Bust Your Windows. She writes just how she is feeling, which in turn, taking a day or up to a month to complete. 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. But this only contributes to her perfectionist personality that she puts in the composition of her songs. Sullivan is well known for penning her songs which in turn, receive universal critical acclaim from critics and fans.

Music career

Songwriting and career beginnings (2003-present)

Jazmine's first recorded appearance was a guest appearance on 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. 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, Tamia, Monica and Fantasia Barrino. She produced the result of the completion of the sessions an album titled Break My Little Heart in 2004 but she was dropped and it remains unreleased.

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 the album's executive 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.

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" appeared on the debut episode of the Fox hit television show Glee and was also nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Song, though it did not win the award. A couple years later, in 2014, Stevie Wonder claimed he considered "Bust Your Windows" a classic song. "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 cancelled. The album received Gold certification by the RIAA, and has sold more than 510,000 copies in the United States so far.

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".

2009-11: Love Me Back

Sullivan began working on her second album, Love Me Back, in 2009. Producers contributing to the album included Missy Elliott, Lamb, Ne-Yo, Anthony Bell, Los da Mystro, Ryan Leslie, and Salaam Remi, 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. The album was completed in June 2010 and released on November 30, 2010. The album's lead single, "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)", was released on July 10, 2010. The song reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album's second single, "10 Seconds", was released to radio in late September, and peaked at 31 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The song was originally set to be released on October 25, but was eventually released on November 22 ; the music video for the single was released on November 12. In early December 2010, Billboard honoured Sullivan as the 'Rising Star' for 2010.

2011-present: Return with new album Reality Show

In the January of 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… got some things to figure out". In 2014, she announced her new album Reality Show.

In a 2014 interview with Billboard, Sullivan described her return as inevitable say she "...can't escape calling.". In May 21, 2014, Sullivan came out of her "musical retirement" after having a reason to sing again. She based Reality Show on watching reality shows during her hiatus which inspired the namesake. The album consisting of 14 songs, and featuring production from Key Wane and Salaam Remi. The first official single is called "Dumb", featuring Meek Mill, and was released on May 12, 2014, to favorable reviews.

On January 13, 2015 Jazmine Sullivan released Reality Show to widespread critical acclaim which garnered a No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and No. 2 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album sold 30,000 copies in its first week. Slant Magazine recognized Sullivan as, "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." The album has recently earned Sullivan three Grammy Award nominations for Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album

Discography

Main article: Jazmine Sullivan discography

• Fearless (2008)
• Love Me Back (2010)
• Reality Show (2015)
• Jazmine Sullivan (2016)

Awards and nominations

• Billboard Women in Music

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
2010	Jazmine Sullivan	Rising Star Award	Won

• BET Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
2009	Jazmine Sullivan	Best New Artist	Nominated
		Best Female R&B Artist	Nominated
		BET Centric Award	Won
2015	"Dumb"	BET Centric Award	Nominated

• Grammy Award

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
2009	Jazmine Sullivan	Best New Artist	Nominated
	"Need U Bad"	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	Nominated
	"In Love With Another Man"	Best Traditional R&B Performance	Nominated
	"Bust Your Windows"	Best R&B Song	Nominated
	Fearless	Best Contemporary R&B Album	Nominated
2010	"Lions, Tigers & Bears"	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	Nominated
		Best R&B Song	Nominated
2011	"Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)"	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance	Nominated
2016	"Let It Burn"	Best Traditional R&B Performance	Nominated
		Best R&B Song	Nominated
	Reality Show	Best R&B Album	Nominated

• NAACP Image Award

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
2009	Jazmine Sullivan	Outstanding New Artist	Nominated

• Soul Train Music Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
2009	Jazmine Sullivan	Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist	Nominated
	"Lions, Tigers and Bears"	Best R&B/Soul Single, Female	Nominated

• ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
2011	"Holding You Down (Goin' In Circles)"	R&B/Hip Hop Song	Won
	"Everything to Me"		Won

[ Source: Wikipedia ]