PHOTOS: LESTER COHEN/GETTY IMAGES FOR ASCAP | Last Friday, February 12th, Grammy nominee Jazmine Sullivan gave an intimate, stripped back acoustic performance at ASCAP’s annual cocktail party soiree at the Bevery Hills SLS Hotel. Jazmine was up for a trifecta of R&B Grammys this year: Best Traditional R&B performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B album.
The event celebrated the 300+ ASCAP members who were nominated for Grammys this year—and featured a star-studded turnout, including Grammy-nominated artists and songwriters Flying Lotus, Gene Simmons, Richie Sambora, Orianthi, Dave Bassett (“Ex’s & Oh’s”), and more.
Though Jazmine did not win any Grammys at “Music’s Biggest Night” this year, she treated guests to a smoldering selection of tunes from her latest album, Reality Show. Standouts included a soulful and sleek rendition of the straight-forward love song “Let it Burn,” which was up for Best R&B song. On record, the track samples Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds’ “Ready Or Not,” but live the number showcased Jazmine’s gospel influenced rapid runs that were often punctuated with breathy, deep voiced alto pauses.
Jazmine closed out her performance with the conflicted “Stupid Girls,” featuring more jazz influenced scat runs. In the song, Sullivan at once cautions women not to be a “stupid girl,” stating you can either “run after the boys, or take over the world,” yet on the other hand, says “when you love ’em like I do, you’ll be a fool.”
Either way, Jasmine with her trio of R&B nods at this year’s Grammys certainly is no “stupid girl.”
