The Lady Can Sang: an interview with Jazmine Sullivan

Catching Up with Jazmine Sullivan… We’ve been following Ms Sullivan’s career ever since she appeared on Gilles Peterson’s The BBC Sessions (2005) where she sang the magnificent Braid Your Hair. Fast forward September 2009 and Jazmine Sullivan is performing at the Jazz Cafe. We met her on the eve of the gig. She broke it down for us about overcoming rejection, her first movie role and of course, offered tips on how to bust a window or two.

Catch a Vibe: Your album did extremely well in the US, do you feel under pressure to match that success in the UK?
Jazmine Sullivan: I’m excited about it. I’m having the same nervousness that I had when I first started in the States. I’m just hoping that it will do just as well her as it did in the States.

CAV: A lot of people in the UK are already familiar with your music, for those who need to catch up, what can they expect from your album Fearless?
Jazmine Sullivan: Expect to hear an album with a mixture of different genres and that’s due to different musical influences, from gospel to hip hop to pop to reggae. I just tried to make an album that anybody can listen so no one is excluded.

CAV: How difficult was that for you, being that you have a naturally jazzy voice?
Jazmine Sullivan: I don’t know, I mean I feel my voice is my voice, irrespective of the genre. But it allowed me to transform my sound and that’s something that I love to do because it keeps it interesting.

CAV: You are no stranger to being unique, what was it like being different to all the other kids when you first started singing at aged five?
Jazmine Sullivan: It was a little difficult, like all kids growing up you just want to be like everyone else. If you have something that is different kids tend to push you away so for a little while I tried to hide my gifts. However; as I got older I began to appreciate the uniqueness of my voice. I was also very tall growing up, taller than all the other kids but eventually I learnt to embrace all the different qualities that made me different.

CAV: Growing up who were you musical influences?
Jazmine Sullivan: She is going to hate me for saying this, but my mum. She always says that I embarrass her when I say that (laughs). My mum used to sing in the church and I used to be like, “I want to do that!”

CAV: Rejection is hard for any teenager so how did you cope with being dropped from Jive record label at the age of 16; did that affect your confidence both as a singer and as a young woman?
Jazmine Sullivan: I was dropped around the age of 18 but yeah I was still very young, and at that time I was still learning and making mistakes and I had just finished high school. I wasn’t going to college, so I pretty much put everything into my music career. Just as I was getting ready to pursue my career I got dropped so that was definitely difficult. But I have two supportive parents that made it clear that they still wanted to support me with my music career so I drew strength from that.

CAV: Was there any particular reasons why it didn’t work out for Jive records?
Jazmine Sullivan: I just feel like I wasn’t anything like the artist that I am now, I was still trying to find myself as a person. I didn’t know who I was as a singer, as an artist, everything.

CAV: Now that you are more secure in yourself, how have you managed to balance the pressures of the industry with your own creative freedom?
Jazmine Sullivan: I actually found doing the radio music a challenge because what I usually enjoy listening to isn’t music that would be considered radio music. But I have grown to appreciate all types of different music and accept them for what they are.

CAV: Say for instance I want to bust my man’s window, how do you suggest I go about it?
Jazmine Sullivan: (laughs) Run really fast and probably never speak to the person you did it too, again. And do not leave your initials on the car either!

CAV: Do you ever cringe at some of the songs you have made where you have bared your heart and soul in it?
Jazmine Sullivan: Oh God, I have music that I absolutely hate but I think that’s normal for any artist. I could do a song and a week later I will hate it, but that’s something that is constant with me. But I’m learning to fight that because sometimes that particular song could potentially do very well or help other people.

CAV: What can we expect from Jazmine Sullivan in the future?
Jazmine Sullivan: Red Tails. It’s a movie where I will be showcasing my first acting role, which is due to release some time next year. It’s my first acting experience, I was a little nervous about doing it but I had fun and the cast was absolutely amazing. Cuba Gooding Jr, Terrence Howard, Elijah Kelly, so many talented actors. But as far as my music in concerned, I just want to continue making good music.

With five Grammy nominations, a number one album and a voice that is just beyond, expect nothing but the finest quality from this up and coming Philly songstress.

Fearless’ out now via J-Records

One Response to “The Lady Can Sang: an interview with Jazmine Sullivan”

• I first heard about Ms Sullivan almost 18 months on an American radio station online, and when I heard her song I thought Lauryn Hill was back. She has an amazing voice and a much needed change from the generic non-sense being produced by the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna and the likes. All hail Ms Sullivan!

  Aisha says
  November 24, 2009 at 1:06 am