Championed by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Missy Elliott, Faith Evans, and (fellow Philadelphians) Kindred among others, the statuesque and beautiful Jazmine is all at once smart, sassy, insightful, down to earth and very real. As the primary songwriter on Fearless, Jazmine brings her own experiences and observations on life and love with vivid storytelling imagery to her songs. Producers include Salaam Remi, Dirty Harry, Jack Splash, Stargate and Missy Elliott who – with Lamb – produced the first infectious single, “Need U Bad.” Says Jazmine, “I wasn’t familiar with reggae but Missy said ‘Let’s try this out!’ So I wrote to the track as soon as I heard it and then Missy brought in Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa to do the chant.” The resulting track became a newfound hit at radio and quickly established Jazmine as a fresh voice for the summer music scene and beyond.
The unusual flamenco-flavored “Bust Your Windows,” produced by Remi begs an obvious question: “Did I actually do that? Maybe… Maybe not!,” Jazmine smiles. The soulful standout “In Love With Another Man” is delivered with heartfelt honesty: “It’s not something I went through personally, however, it is an honest song that I felt needed to be told. You often hear of the man being the heartbreaker in songs but their hearts get broken too.” The quirky, unusually-titled “Lions, Tigers & Bears” (also produced by Remi who employed a full orchestra for the session) conjures up a world of images. It was inspired by Jazmine’s portrayal of Dorothy in “The Wiz” during her childhood. “My life has been all about music for such a long time that the thought of love was frightening. I knew the world of music but that other world of love was scary, new to me. It’s really about being afraid of love.”
After hearing Jazmine’s “In Love With Another Man” (produced by Philly’s Anthony Bell), Peter Edge at J Records reacted and subsequently, Jazmine spent a year preparing for what would be her first face-to-face meeting with J’s Clive Davis. “I knew my record had to be different,” she says. “That’s when I started developing my own writing style. I have a big imagination so that helped.” When Jazmine had gathered enough material, A&R executive Edge set up the crucial audition with Davis. “After I finished singing, he said, ‘Welcome to the family!’”
Those “facets” are illustrated on a debut album which Jazmine describes as “honest, with a particular point of view.” “Fearless embodies my state of mind right now. I’m 21, confident, fearless of being honest in my songwriting and musically not afraid to try different things.” Honing her craft and developing a distinctive writing style, she’s come up with an album that is both soul-satisfying and accessible; a record that’s sure to win her a solid following with music buyers who like their music uninhibited and always real.
