Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Sullivan: More Than the Next Lauryn Hill
By Kathy Iandoli
Let’s get one thing straight – she does not want to be Lauryn Hill. That’s not to say that Jazmine Sullivan has disdain for our living legend Miss Hill. It’s just that in a world where good music is so hard to find, Miss Sullivan would much rather build her own path than walk the sacred one that L-Boogie has forged. Jazmine Sullivan has been a local force in Philly for quite some time. A regular during the hay day of the Black Lily circuit, Jazmine caught the eyes and ears of some pretty important people – namely Missy Elliott.A record deal with Jive Records led to the ever so common misplacement of a young artist in a completely off element. Now Jazmine is back with a new label [J Records] and a new lease on her career as a singer/songwriter. Her debut single, the reggae-tinged “Need U Bad,” offers the musical wealth that R&B currently needs to be paid, along with Sullivan’s old soul. But for a youth who co-penned Christina Milian’s “Say I,” Jazmine Sullivan isn’t trying to be that overly deep youngster who has no time to be a kid. She’s young and she’s having fun…and destined for great things. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: So you’re originally from Philly. What is it in the water in Philly that always brings out really good artists?Jazmine Sullivan: I don’t know, I think it’s a really historical place for soul music. And people from Philly – if you’re smart you’ll study all of that stuff and learn about the history. Gamble and Huff, who are great writers, they produced a lot of hits; so it’s a soulful historic thing. Historical, historical, the water is dirty, that’s why I don’t know about the water. [laughs]AHHA: You have been singing for a really long time, but even when you were coming up as a teenager, at what point did you begin aggressively pursuing music?Jazmine Sullivan: Probably around twelve or thirteen. I started out going around to different artists and producers, hopefully trying to get put on. That is actually when I met Missy, when I was about thirteen and then I started going to the Black Lily a lot; almost like every other week. I was just getting better at my craft. Watching all the performers that performed there, Floetry and Kindred (the Family Soul) who were like a brother and sister to me. [Kindred] actually put me on their first album. It was actually my first time singing in the studio, and they gave me that opportunity. The track was called “I am,” I believe. I signed when I was sixteen to Jive records, and it didn’t work out. I think the main reason was because I really didn’t know who I was musically at that time, so I couldn’t tell them. [Jive] saw me as one thing, and I just wasn’t that, but it ended up working out better, I believe. I had to time grow as a person, to experience the things that every teenager should and grow as a writer. I wrote this song called “In Love with Another Man,” that me and my mother started sending out to different record companies, and Peter Edge from J [Records] loved the song. They called and invited me in the office and I sang it live. We went through almost a year of getting material together and gathering up material to give to Clive, because you can’t go into Clive’s office unless you have something solid down. So we definitely spent time doing that, and one of the songs we got together was the single “Need U Bad,” because I worked with Missy. I performed for him, and he was basically like, “Welcome to the family” after. It has been an amazing journey so far.
For Full ArtiCle---->LiNK
The GIrl can SIng.. Hands Down..But there can never be another LauRYn HILL!!
Wat You ThinK??
HereS heR Vid!
By Kathy Iandoli
Let’s get one thing straight – she does not want to be Lauryn Hill. That’s not to say that Jazmine Sullivan has disdain for our living legend Miss Hill. It’s just that in a world where good music is so hard to find, Miss Sullivan would much rather build her own path than walk the sacred one that L-Boogie has forged. Jazmine Sullivan has been a local force in Philly for quite some time. A regular during the hay day of the Black Lily circuit, Jazmine caught the eyes and ears of some pretty important people – namely Missy Elliott.A record deal with Jive Records led to the ever so common misplacement of a young artist in a completely off element. Now Jazmine is back with a new label [J Records] and a new lease on her career as a singer/songwriter. Her debut single, the reggae-tinged “Need U Bad,” offers the musical wealth that R&B currently needs to be paid, along with Sullivan’s old soul. But for a youth who co-penned Christina Milian’s “Say I,” Jazmine Sullivan isn’t trying to be that overly deep youngster who has no time to be a kid. She’s young and she’s having fun…and destined for great things. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: So you’re originally from Philly. What is it in the water in Philly that always brings out really good artists?Jazmine Sullivan: I don’t know, I think it’s a really historical place for soul music. And people from Philly – if you’re smart you’ll study all of that stuff and learn about the history. Gamble and Huff, who are great writers, they produced a lot of hits; so it’s a soulful historic thing. Historical, historical, the water is dirty, that’s why I don’t know about the water. [laughs]AHHA: You have been singing for a really long time, but even when you were coming up as a teenager, at what point did you begin aggressively pursuing music?Jazmine Sullivan: Probably around twelve or thirteen. I started out going around to different artists and producers, hopefully trying to get put on. That is actually when I met Missy, when I was about thirteen and then I started going to the Black Lily a lot; almost like every other week. I was just getting better at my craft. Watching all the performers that performed there, Floetry and Kindred (the Family Soul) who were like a brother and sister to me. [Kindred] actually put me on their first album. It was actually my first time singing in the studio, and they gave me that opportunity. The track was called “I am,” I believe. I signed when I was sixteen to Jive records, and it didn’t work out. I think the main reason was because I really didn’t know who I was musically at that time, so I couldn’t tell them. [Jive] saw me as one thing, and I just wasn’t that, but it ended up working out better, I believe. I had to time grow as a person, to experience the things that every teenager should and grow as a writer. I wrote this song called “In Love with Another Man,” that me and my mother started sending out to different record companies, and Peter Edge from J [Records] loved the song. They called and invited me in the office and I sang it live. We went through almost a year of getting material together and gathering up material to give to Clive, because you can’t go into Clive’s office unless you have something solid down. So we definitely spent time doing that, and one of the songs we got together was the single “Need U Bad,” because I worked with Missy. I performed for him, and he was basically like, “Welcome to the family” after. It has been an amazing journey so far.
For Full ArtiCle---->LiNK
The GIrl can SIng.. Hands Down..But there can never be another LauRYn HILL!!
Wat You ThinK??
HereS heR Vid!
Signing Off
8/06/2008 10:35:00 PM
0 << Commented Here
8/06/2008 10:35:00 PM
0 << Commented Here