"Let It Burn" is a song by American singer

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 Sullivan and

Key Wane Dwane Marshall Weir II (born July 12, 1990) is an American hip hop/R&B producer and songwriter, professionally known as Key Wane. Wane has produced for artists such as Big Sean, Jazmine Sullivan, Beyoncé, Drake, Jhene Aiko, Wale, Lil Wayne, ...

for her third studio album ''

Reality Show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

'' (2015), while production was helmed by the latter. The song is built around a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

of " Ready or Not" (1989) by American R&B group

After 7 After 7 is an American R&B group founded in 1987 by brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, and their friend Keith Mitchell. The Edmonds brothers are the older siblings of pop/R&B singer-songwriter and record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, w ...

. Due to the inclusion of the sample, its writer

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...

is also credited as songwriter. The song was released as the album's third single and became ''Reality Show'' highest-charting offering, reaching number four on the ''

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 ...

Adult R&B Songs The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...

chart. At the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

, the song — along with its parent album — received two nominations in the categories for

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 Bab ...

and

Best Traditional R&B Performance The Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers of quality traditional R&B vocal performances. ...

. After 7 and Sullivan performed a mashup of "Let It Burn" and "Ready or Not" at the 2015

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of ''Soul Train'', the pro ...

, celebrating fellow honoree

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

Background

"Let It Burn" was written by Sullivan and producer

for her third studio album ''

'' (2015) and

s from " Ready or Not" (1989) by American R&B group

as written by Kenneth "Babyace" Edmonds. A throw-back to 1980s music, the song is a dreamy, simmering late-night ballad, that is built upon a synth-heavy instrumentation. Lyrically, "Let It Burn" was inspired by a previous relationship during which Sullivan felt that she was not acting like an ideal girlfriend. In 2019, she revealed that she almost failed to finish the song. Sullivan recorded her vocals on the song in one take. Pre-produced by frequent collaborator Wane, she initially recognized the melody of "Let It Burn" as something she had heard before, but was not aware of the sample until months after she recorded it. When asked about the sample, she commented: "I don’t mind samples if the feel is there. With “Let it Burn” the track felt so good that I couldn't imagine it without the sample, but I think it helped that I didn't know the original song." Sullivan further described "Let It Burn" as a "classic song, a timeless R&B song."

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. *Gleyder "Gee" Disla – recording *

Kenneth Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...

– writer (sample) *Joe Gallagher – vocal recording *Gary Noble – mixing *Jazmine Sullivan – vocals, writer *

– producer, writer

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{authority control 2015 singles 2014 songs Jazmine Sullivan songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Key Wane Songs written by Jazmine Sullivan