Early Life
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Jazmine Sullivan grew up the middle sister La'Vita between an older brother Donnell and younger brother Andre. Her mother Pam is a former backup singer for Philadelphia International Records. When she was 5 years old, her father landed a position as a curator for the city's Historic Strawberry Mansion in the Strawberry Mansion section, and her family moved into the historical landmark. Sullivan struggled to assimilate at school. She is a 2005 graduate of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts where she was a vocal music major. Sullivan began singing with as a contralto in the children’s choir, then a few years later in the adult choir. Sullivan’s exposure to secular music was initially limited, "I was doing solos in church and someone wanted me to sign to a gospel label when I was eleven but I wasn’t ready to do that," she recalls. "Then when McDonald’s had a competition for kids in major cities, I got a chance to perform 'Accept What God Allows' on It's Showtime at the Apollo and the audience responded really well". She sang with Stevie Wonder at his grandson's birthday at the age of 13. Sullivan was initially signed to Jive Records at the age 16. There, she recorded an entire album titled Break My Little Heart, but the album was never released and Sullivan was dropped from the label. She maintained a working relationship with Missy Elliott, who had produced some of the tracks for Heart, and continued writing songs until she landed her current deal at J Records.
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