''Fearless'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

by American singer-songwriter

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 certifi ...

. It was released on September 23, 2008, through

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Grou ...

. Production for the album took place during 2007 to 2008 and was handled by several record producers, including

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 ...

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen ...

Carvin & Ivan Carvin & Ivan are a production duo from Philadelphia consisting of producer and songwriters Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins. Initially starting out as solo hip hop artists, Haggins and Barias moved into production and songwriti ...

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

Jack Splash Jack Splash is an American recording artist, musician, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. Splash's works include writing and production on singles for artists such as Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, John Legend, ...

and

Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is a Grammy winning American record producer known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, Robby, Fugees, Fergie, Estelle, Black Thought, and Miguel, and for his reggae-tinged (often referred to as ...

. The album debuted at number six on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 65,000 copies in its first week. It also produced three singles that attained respectable charting on ''

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 ...

''s

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming i ...

chart. Upon its release, ''Fearless'' received generally positive reviews from most music critics who complimented its production and Sullivan's vocals, comparing her to female R&B artists such as

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Colu ...

and

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

. The album earned Sullivan seven

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations and has sold 517,000 copies in the United States and since been certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for exceeded sales of one million units.

Background

Sullivan signed to

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, a ...

in 2003 where she later began providing vocals for other artists such as

Kindred the Family Soul Kindred the Family Soul, also referred to as simply Kindred, is an American neo soul duo consisting of married couple Fatin Dantzler (born in 1973 in Camden, New Jersey) and Aja Graydon (born September 25, 1978 in Los Angeles, California). Signed ...

. Sullivan graduated from the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Philadelphia in 2005, where she was a vocal music major. After graduation, she was dropped from her record label

, later scrapping her original debut album which remains unreleased. In 2007,

Peter Edge Peter Edge is an English-American record executive. He is the chairman and CEO of RCA Records. Early life and education Edge was born near Coventry, England. Fueled in part by his sister’s record collection – which included influential ...

, record executive and then president of J Records, saw interest in her after listening to her demo that she recorded for

Christina Milian Christine Marie Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known as Christina Milian (), is an American actress and singer. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but raised in Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. Records at the age of 19. ...

's single "

Say I "Say I" is a song by American singer Christina Milian. It was written by Jazmine Sullivan, Jay Jenkins (at the time Young Jeezy, now simply known as Jeezy), Andre Lyon, and Marcello Valenzano and produced by Lyon and Valenzano under their prod ...

" (2006), he later which offered her a deal with

. She eventually began work for her debut studio album. The lead single, " Need U Bad", produced by

, was released on May 13, 2008. and its music video premiered on July 7, 2008. The song reached number thirty-seven on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. She later performed the song at the 2008 BET Awards. "

Bust Your Windows "Bust Your Windows" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan from her debut album '' Fearless''. The song was available as a digital download on Amazon in the U.S. on September 16, 2008. The song was then later released as ...

" was released as the second single from the album on September 16, 2008, and its music video premiered in October 2008. It reached number 31 on the Hot 100 and serves as Sullivan's most successful single. It also reached number four on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, becoming her second top-ten hit on that chart. Two other singles " Lions, Tigers & Bears" (which reached number 74 on the Hot 100) and " Dream Big" were later released and were accompanied by music videos. In a September 2008 interview with Pete Lewis of ''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

'', Sullivan disccused the album's title and lyrical themes,

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from most music critics. Sullivan received many comparisons by critics to other well-known female R&B artists, such as

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A memb ...

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awar ...

, and

.Columnist
Breaking: Jazmine Sullivan
. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cov ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-03-29. Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave the album 4½ out of 5 stars and praised her performance, stating "There's a lot of range on display here, and there is just as much depth".Kellman, Andy. Review: ''Fearless'' AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-08-28. ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in ...

''s Erika Ramirez praised Sullivan's singing and lyrical substance, writing "Sullivan's vocal perfection pilots her debut album... and boasts her self-penned lyrics which are filled with struggle and heartache, embodying every inch of the soul star she is".Ramirez, Erika
Review: ''Fearless''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-08-27. ''

NOW Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * N ...

''s Benjamin Boles commended Sullivan for her "strong voice" and the album's production, stating "she’s pulling from a pleasingly wide range of influences – dropping bits of doo-wop, roots reggae, Motown and hip-hop into the mix while maintaining a consistent feel".Boles, Benjamin
Review: ''Fearless''
''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * N ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-08-27. '' Q'' gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote " r voice merges Beyonce and Amy Winehouse and is backed by slick productions".Columnist.
Review: ''Fearless''
. '' Q'': 107. ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' writer Joey Guerra wrote favorably of her songwriting and called the album "a collection brimming with attitude, edge and soul".Guerra, Joey
Review: ''Fearless''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-03-29. Sal Cinquemani of

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

gave it 4 out of 5 stars and commended Sullivan for her lyrical honesty and musical range.Cinquemani, Sal
Review: ''Fearless''
.

. Retrieved on 2009-08-27. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nat ...

''s Allison Stewart described ''Fearless'' as "a mix of awkward-but-novel devices (reggae beats, Daft Punk samples) and nakedly confessional songwriting" and called it "a snappy, intensely human debut".Stewart, Allison.
Review: ''Fearless''
. ''

'': C.5. September 23, 2008. Archived fro
the original
on 2009-08-27. However, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cultu ...

''s Simon Vozick-Levinson gave ''Fearless'' a C+ rating and described most of its music as "schmaltzy pop-&-B".Vozick-Levinson, Simon
Review: ''Fearless''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-08-27. Giving the album 3 out of 5 stars,

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

's Mark Edward Nero viewed her vocals as "generic and lack emotion or urgency" on some songs, but ultimately wrote that "there are more hits than misses here".Nero, Mark Edward
Review: ''Fearless''

. Retrieved on 2010-03-29. Nero lauded Sullivan's vocal performance and compared her songwriting to that of R&B musician

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...

, writing "due to both artists' talent for writing on-point, introspective lyrics. Like Ne-Yo, Jazmine has a knack for crafting intricate, deeply personal verses that make you feel at one with the singer. Even on the weaker songs on Fearless, the songwriting is still above par". ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

''s Steve Jones gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and wrote that she "sings every word as if she means it".Jones, Steve
Review: ''Fearless''
. ''

''. Retrieved on 2009-08-27.

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

writer Michael Cragg praised Sullivan's vocal range and themes on the album, writing "Sullivan has created a mature, engaging R&B album that doesn't rely solely on the usual tropes of sexuality, money and posturing. Instead, Fearless deals with real emotions sung in a way that convinces the listener she means every single word".Cragg, Michael
Review: ''Fearless''

. Retrieved on 2010-03-29.

Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...

's Jeff Harvey called it "a well produced urban pop album" and wrote that Sullivan's voice "carries a subtle tenderness that adds intriguing nuance".Harvey, Jeff
Review: ''Fearless''

. Retrieved on 2009-08-27. Jon Caramanica of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote favorably of Sullivan's performance and wrote "Her sense of humor is her best asset. She doesn't have a huge, imposing voice, but she's versatile, dabbling in jazz and reggae phrasings with ease".Caramanica, Jon
Review: ''Fearless''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-08-27.

Commercial performance

''Fearless'' entered at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200, with first week sales of 65,000 copies.Harris, Chris
Metallica Are #1 For Third Week In A Row, As Death Magnetic Nears Million-Sold Mark
.

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. Retrieved on 2010-03-29. It fell to number 10 in its second week, selling 42,000 more copies. The album also peaked at number one on ''

''s

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart. Billboard Charts: ''Fearless'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-29. As of November 2010, ''Fearless'' has sold 517,000 copies in the United States.Jazmine Sullivan to Receive Billboard's Rising Star Award for Women in Music
(November 12, 2010). Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-11-12.

Accolades

She earned five 2009 Grammy Award nominations for the album including

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

("Need U Bad"), Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ("In Love with Another Man"),

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Ba ...

("Bust Your Windows"), and

Best Contemporary R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary ...

, while Sullivan herself was nominated for

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

. She also earned two 2010 Grammy Award nominations for

and

("Lions, Tigers, and Bears"). ''

'' magazine named the album one of the Ten Best Albums of 2008.Cummings, Jozen
The Ten Best Albums of 2008: 808s & Heartbreak
. ''Vibe''. Accessed April 13, 2009.

Track listing

Sample credits * "Bust Your Windows" uses a sample from

's "Bad Man Waltz" and interpolates a lyric from Soulja Boy Tell Em's "

Crank That (Soulja Boy) "Crank That" is the debut single by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell'em. It served as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' souljaboytellem.com'' (2007) and accompanies the Soulja Boy dance. The song is recognized by its looping steel ...

" * "Need U Bad" uses a sample from Nicolas Taylor Stanton's "Higher Meditation Riddim Version", and Tapper Zukie's "Papa Big Shirt" * "My Foolish Heart" uses a sample from Willie Mitchell's "Groovin'" * "Lions, Tigers and Bears" uses a sample from

's "Sheila's Playground" * "Call Me Guilty" uses a sample from

's "Police Theme" * "Dream Big" uses a sample 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" * "Live a Lie" uses a sample from

's "The Truth" * "Fear" samples

Art of Noise Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and music ...

's "

Beat Box Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

" and interpolates elements from

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, so ...

's " I Was Made to Love Her" * "Switch" uses a sample from Ivy Hunter & William Stevenson "Your Cheating Ways" performed by the Marvelettes

Personnel

Credits for ''Fearless'' adapted from Allmusic. Credits: ''Fearless'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-29. * June Ambrose – stylist * Ivan "Orthodox" Barias – various, producer, engineer, tracking, audio production, instrumentation * Anthony Bell – various, producer, engineer, audio production, instrumentation * Biz & Riz – bells, Fender Rhodes * Tim Blacksmith – management * Anita Marisa Boriboon – art direction, design * Danny D – management * Dirty Harry – programming * Peter Edge – executive producer * Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott – producer, engineer, executive producer, audio production * Mikkel S. Eriksen – various, engineer, instrumentation * Paul J. Falcone – engineer * Ron Feuer – piano * Fisticuffs – various, audio production * Erwin Gorostiza – creative director * Carvin "Ransum" Haggins – producer, engineer, tracking, audio production * Vincent Henry – clarinet, flute, guitar, alto saxophone, baritone saxophhone, tenor saxophone * Tor Erik Hermanson – various * Trevor Jerideau – A&R * Iman Jordan – piano * Lamb Audio – production * The Love Life – orchestra various * Manny Marroquin – mixing * Pepa – vocals * David "Mr. Somebody" Pierre – piano, keyboards * Christian Plata – mixing assistant * Rebel One – management * Salaam Remi – bass, percussion, piano, strings, drums, keyboards, executive producer, Fender Rhodes, audio production, instrumentation * Harold "Jukebox" Robinson – bass * Malachy Robinson – performer * Johnnie "Smurf" Smith – keyboards * Franklin Emmanuel Socorro – engineer * Jack Splash – arranger, various, producer, performer, audio production * Jazmine Sullivan – performer, background vocals, producer, executive producer, audio production * Brian Warfield – performer * Yusef Williams – hair stylist * James M. Wisner – engineer * James Wisner – audio engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* *
Fearless
' at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

Jazmine Sullivan Clear for Take Off
at ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fearless (Jazmine Sullivan Album) 2008 debut albums Albums produced by Jack Splash Albums produced by Missy Elliott Albums produced by Salaam Remi Albums produced by Stargate Arista Records albums J Records albums Jazmine Sullivan albums