"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 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 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 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 and Best Traditional R&B Performance. After 7 and Sullivan performed a

mashup Mashup may refer to: * Mashup (culture), the rearrangement of spliced parts of musical pieces as part of a subculture * Mashup (education), combining various forms of data and media by a teacher or student in an instructional setting * Mashup (mus ...

of "Let It Burn" and "Ready or Not" at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards, celebrating fellow honoree Babyface.

Background

"Let It Burn" was written by Sullivan and producer Key Wane 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 * Key Wane – 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