Jazmine Sullivan (Photo courtesy RCA Records)
Jazmine Sullivan’s voice sounds and feels like she’s been a veteran vocalist since she sang her first note. She’s the woman who sang to her cheating man in a 2008 Grammy-nominated song, “I bust the windows out your car.” She’s the doe-eyed songstress who teamed up with Virginia native Missy Elliott on the yearning single “Need U Bad.” Fans of HBO’s hit series “Insecure” heard her, sounding rich as warm coffee and naturally raspy, closing out the first episode of the highly anticipated second season in July with “Let It Burn.” Sullivan’s been on the long road to fame since she was a child in her hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and now she’ll grace the stage of the Richmond Jazz Festival on Saturday, Aug. 12. We talk with her about her music, her body-positive self-image, how gospel music influences her sound and what’s next on her agenda.
Richmond magazine: Ms. Sullivan, we are so excited to have you perform on the Richmond Jazz Festival stage this year! What can your fans here expect to hear from you?
Photo courtesy RCA Records
Jazmine Sullivan: I’m going to be doing some old classics, a lot of my signature songs. And I’m going to be adding some new songs to my set. I’m super excited.
RM: Your last album, Grammy-nominated “Reality Show” was released in 2015, and since then, we’ve seen you collaborate with artists who are considered newcomers (Frank Ocean) to veterans (Mary J. Blige). What are you working on currently?
Sullivan: I’m always writing. Right now, I’m trying to get ideas out; not really thinking about 'what,' per se, but trying to be creative and keep the juices flowing. Most of the time, I care about working with projects that move me. I did a song for [The Immortal Life of] Henrietta Lacks movie soundtrack and learned a lot about her. Working with Mary was an honor; I grew up listening to her. That was huge for me.
RM: I know you’re from Philly, but we here in Virginia will always have love for you for your smash single “Need U Bad,” produced by Virginia native Missy Elliott. What was it like working with her? Would you like to work with her in the future?
Sullivan: I grew up around Missy. I met her when I was about 15 or 16; she’s kind of like a big sister to me. She definitely is a hard worker; she pushes me, and I learned a lot from her. She’s fun, and she loves music. I certainly plan to work with her again sometime.
RM: Let’s go back to your childhood for a minute. You were raised singing in the church. How did gospel shape you as a singer, and how does that sound continue to influence your music now?
Sullivan: I mean, gospel music and singing in church, you’re singing about God, so the passion is always there. The conviction has to be there; the spirit has to be there, to move people. So I take that into my music with R&B. I try to be present. I have to feel it, in order to convey what I’m singing about.
RM: I’ve read that you count gospel superstars Kim Burrell and Dorinda Clarke-Cole as musical inspiration; which other gospel musicians are your favorites?
Sullivan: I also really love Karen Clarke Sheard; actually, the Clark Sisters, period. Yolanda Adams … a lot of gospel artists. Specifically Kim Burrell, because her voice sounded like mine, and there weren’t a lot of people who had a raspy, low range singing gospel, so she inspired me to be comfortable with my voice.
RM: Obviously, your voice is what’s garnered international recognition, but people shouldn’t sleep on your songwriting game, either. You wrote all the songs on your debut album, “Fearless,” and on “Reality Show.” You’ve written for other R&B super singers like Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson. What is your songwriting process like? Which artists would you like to collaborate with in the future?
Sullivan: It’s different, depending on my mood. Sometime I sit at a piano and come up with chords. Sometimes I’ll listen to a track and it will inspire me. Somebody that I want work in the future is Pharrell; he’s very innovative.
RM: I loved your contribution to the “Body Brigade” feature spread in Ebony magazine in 2016.
I remember you saying that your self-image and the world’s image of you have always been somewhat at odds, that you were a “young, thick girl with a big voice,” and folks didn’t know how to react. What are your thoughts these days on image, self-love and acceptance?
Sullivan: I feel like the older that you get, you just become more comfortable with yourself. That’s the case with me. You know, body image is still a challenge for me, like it is for every woman. It doesn’t run my life and I don’t think of it all the time, but I do think of it. But at some point, you have to just love yourself. At the end of the day, I believe I’m beautiful.
RM: What’s next for Jazmine Sullivan?
Sullivan: I do have a project coming up that I really can’t talk about … it was another passion project for me. It should be released in a couple weeks. And I’m always working on other creative projects.
