"Dream Big" is a song by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

recording artist

Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B and soul singer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, her debut album, ''Fearless'' was released in 2008. The record topped ''Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certifie ...

. It was written by

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

, Cainon Lamb, Taurian Osbourne, and Sullivan for her debut studio album ''

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

'' (2008), while production was helmed by Elliott and Lamb. The

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

-heavy track prominently features a sample of

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

's song "Veridis Quo" from the album ''

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'' (2001). "Dream Big" was made available on UK

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and 7 Digital as an EP on February 9, 2009. It was later made available for airplay on UK radio stations on April 5, 2009. and then received an official single digital release on April 6, 2009.

Background and reception

"Dream Big" prominently features a sample of

's song "Veridis Quo" from the album ''

''. The song is about a girl dreaming to be a big star; it's about taking opportunities when they come to you and being ready to go when the time comes. The song is produced by

, Jazmine's mentor who provides vocals in the intro using a line typically reserved for Missy's own songs. Overall the song was said 'to be a very unexpected sound from Jazmine', in comparison with the previous seven tracks on the album. Namely the synthy, upbeat and techno sound it has to it. The different approach to the club-friendly song is what's said to give it an edge as well as an extra benefit for its airplay success. ''Dream Big'' appeared on major UK music critic,

Popjustice Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for ''NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael Cra ...

's website as 'Song of the Day' and was described as ''an excellent track and something to watch out for''. Jazmine describes her inspiration behind the song:

"My journey was not an easy one. There were people telling me I wasn't what the industry wanted. So I had to persevere and stay determined to live my dream. I wrote this song to encourage people all over the world to dream big despite the road blocks."

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' reviewed the song:

"Dream Big", a swallow-you-whole-four-four thumper, is an ambitious motivational anthem.
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
nicks nearly all of its drive and dramatics from
Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
's "Veridis Quo".

Epinions reviewed the song:

Missy calls out in the intro using a line typically reserved for her own songs (if that's not a sign of faith in one's work, I don't know what is). It's an out and out Euro techno club track, complete with a clever cache of synth lines via
Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
's "Veridis Quo" and an assortment of gimmicky techno sounds that just don't sound gimmicky; Jazmine just understands that her credibility is in her authenticity and she doesn't miss the slightest detail. The song itself is about taking opportunities when they come to you, about being ready to go when the time comes. The fact that she manages to take on a genre seemingly foreign to her talents in such a convincing manner is a testament to what happens when you dream big.

Release and reception

Jazmine performed "Dream Big" on popular

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television show "Le Grand Journal" as part of her international 2009 promotion of her first album, "

". She also performed it along with several of her album tracks for UK

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and presenter. Early life Born in the London Borough of Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School (now known as Central ...

in April, 2009. On April 18, 2009 the single peaked at #164 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

after a surge of steady download sales during that week. "Dream Big" peaked at #6 on the Turkish Singles Chart issued March 30, 2009, making it Jazmine's first hit single outside the

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The track then went on to make waves on European airplay charts in countries such as

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and

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Music video

In March 2009, the music video for "Dream Big" premiered. It features Jazmine sitting behind a table and writing down her plans to get her dream. Basically mirroring the song by chronicling Jazmine's journey from songwriter to singer. Her handwriting reads as letters on the book appear on screen matching with the song lyrics. Then the video moves onto capturing her in studio, crafting songs and then performing on stage in front of an audience. The video received generally favourable reviews by fans. It was viewed as her best yet by some and 'cheap' by others. Being produced by Syndrome, who also produced Jazmine's previous video for '' Lions, Tigers & Bears'', the two were closely compared and the animation theme was criticized to not show the real Jazmine, the Jazmine that fans know and love.

Formats and track listings

;UK Digital bundle # "Dream Big" (Album Version) — 3:35 # "Dream Big" (Ghettopop Remix) — 3:49 # "Dream Big" (Monk & Prof Club Remix) — 4:15 # "Dream Big" (StoneBridge Remix) — 6:45 ;UK digital single # "Dream Big" (Radio Edit) — 2:33

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. * A&R: Trevor Jerdeau *Management: Rebel One, Pam Sullivan * Mixing:

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

, Christian Plat *Production

, Cainon Lamb *Recording: Missy Elliott, Paul J. Falcone, Scott Berger-Felder *Vocal assistance: Missy Elliott

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dream Big (Jazmine Sullivan Song) Jazmine Sullivan songs Songs written by Jazmine Sullivan 2009 singles Songs written by Missy Elliott 2009 songs Songs written by Thomas Bangalter Songs written by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo J Records singles Songs written by Cainon Lamb