Jazmine Sullivan was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother Pam is a former backup singer for Philadelphia International Records. When she was five 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. She is a 2005 graduate of the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts where she was a vocal music major.\n', '

Sullivan began singing as a contralto in the children\'s choir, and later in the adult choir. Sullivan\'s exposure to secular music was initially limited. At thirteen, she sang with Stevie Wonder at his grandson\'s birthday. \n', '

At fifteen, Sullivan signed to Jive records. She recorded an album, which was never released, and she was eventually dropped from the label. She maintained a working relationship with Missy Elliott, who produced a number of the tracks for her debut project, including the buzz single "Backstabbers"—produced by Timbaland and written by Elliott. While unsigned, Sullivan took songwriting into her own hands, and would later re-team with Elliott for her first two studio albums after being signed to J Records in 2007.\n', '

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