Jazmine Sullivan

Jazmine Laura Sullivan was born in and was raised at home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pam the mother of Jazmine was once a backing singer of Philadelphia International Records. Her father offered her a job as the curator at the Historic Strawberry Mansion. She together with her family then relocated into the historic mansion. In 2005 she was a graduate of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts with an alumna of the vocal music department. Sullivan played the contralto in the children's choir and then just a few years later she joined as an adult in the choir. Sullivan was not exposed to secular music at first. "I was singing for the first time solo in churches, and one of my friends suggested I sign up to a gospel record when I was eleven. However, I was not ready to go through with it," she says. "Then McDonald's offered a competition to children from major cities. It gave me the opportunity to perform Accept The Grace God Gives On Showtime Apollo. The audience was extremely supportive." The singer performed along with Stevie Wonder at his grandson's birthday at the age of 13. Sullivan had signed her first contract with Jive Records when she was fifteen. As a teenager she signed with Jive Records. She recorded an entire album at Jive Records however it was never made available for release. Sullivan was later dropped from the label. There was a close relationship with Missy Elliott who wrote and recorded some of the songs on her debut album, including the buzz single "Backstabbers" which was produced by Timbaland and written by Elliott.