Jazmine Sullivan: Voice Profile and Vocal Range (2022)

Vocal Range: Gb2 – G#5 – Bb5 (3 octaves and a major third)

Vocal Fach: Lyric Mezzo-Soprano

Vocal Rating: Vocalist

Analysis: With an illustrious career spanning nearly two decades, Jazmine Sullivan has steadily emerged as a premier name in the music industry. While most often labeled as an R&B singer, Sullivan seemingly draws stronger influences from jazz and neo-soul, displaying greater musical intelligence than her pop peers. Sullivan embodies virtually all of the traits necessary to justify classification as a vocalist and not merely a singer.

Sullivan is easily identifiable as a mezzo-soprano, although she notably sang as an alto in her children’s choir.^[1]https://www.vibe.com/music/next/2008/06/jazmine_sullivan/ Her rich, womanly tone and strong lower register are good indicators of her fach.^[2]Dilessa Archer, Jazmine Sullivan Vocal Analysis While Sullivan has incredible agility and dexterity to her voice, she wouldn’t be considered a coloratura due to the heavier weight of her voice and its lack of a significant upper extension. Sullivan’s vocal onset is often vocal fry, which helps to color her sound, while she’s able to retain that gritty quality throughout different registers of her voice.^[3]Sam Johnson, Voice Teacher Reacts to Jazmine Sullivan – Pick Up Your Feelings (Official Acoustic Live Video)

As mentioned above, Sullivan’s lower register is strong, descending down to F#2 and lingering around C3 with ease. While she may choose to drop her larynx as a stylistic choice – in a similar vein to other R&B vocalists like Erykah Badu – it doesn’t pose a significant threat to the health of her voice, and she’s (generally) also able to sing these notes without doing so. As she leaves the lower register, her voice becomes more feminine, displaying the rich, fuller tone expected of a mezzo from approximately Eb3 to C5. As she enters the fifth octave in her mixed voice, she begins giving her voice a more nasal placement, which may be perceived as “whiny,” but is characteristic of her musical style. This “nastier” sound is in fact a safer way to create vocal distortion.^[4]Supra, Sam Johnson.

The highlight of her voice inarguably is her agility. Sullivan is able to embellish phrases in all parts of her range with swift, deft melisma in ascending and descending forms with pearl-like clarity, evenness, and crisp intonation on each note. This work wouldn’t be possible without a strong, internal sense of rhythm, which Sullivan displays consistently live and in the studio. Her agility and rhythm work seemingly autonomically, allowing Sullivan to focus more on her storytelling and phrasing to deliver powerful musical performances.

Overall, Sullivan is an immensely talented vocalist with a skillset inarguably exceeding that of most pop singers. She was gifted with both a naturally athletic instrument and the discipline to harness it.

What do you think of Jazmine Sullivan’s voice? Would you add anything to our analysis? Let us know by commenting below!