After nabbing five Grammy nominations, J Records debut recording artist Jazmine Sullivan is in good company with vocal sirens Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Mary J. Blige, who have all received numerous honors at past ceremonies. The Philadelphia songbird whose solo debut, “Fearless,” garnered honors for Best New Artist, Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal, Best Traditional R&B Vocal, and Best R&B Song for “Bust Your Windows” learned the good news after attending pre-Grammy festivities. She recently wrapped a 25-city tour as Maxwell’s opening act for the last two months.
The voluptuous beauty jokingly admits that for a moment, she worried that she lost her lyrical groove. “While I was on tour with Maxwell I was like, Can I even write anymore? When you stop doing something for a long period of time, you tend to forget until you get back into the swing of it, but I know when a song comes to me, it usually comes right.”
Sullivan, who signed her first record deal when she was 16, has worked with Philly’s R&B duo Kindred The Family Soul and production duo Dre & Vidal, penning hits such as “Say I” for Christina Milian. Sullivan admits she’s ecstatic to finally be recognized by her peers.
“Honestly, one nomination would have been enough,” says the 21-year-old singer and songwriter. “But it feels wonderful that all my hard work and struggle has finally paid off. Hopefully, this will make people more aware of my music. When I work, it’s really not a game, I come hard and [remain] focused so I can become a household name.”