Yasmeen Sulieman (born May 19, 1982)http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/yasmeen/512318 is an American singer and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

actress born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

and raised in Hawaii. She is best known for her 2002 R&B single "Blue Jeans" in addition to her successful work in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning

musical '' Beautiful: The Carole King Musical'' which she joined in 2014.

Biography

Born in Oakland, California, Yasmeen Sulieman lived in that creative hotbed until she was 7, when her parents moved the family including her actor brother (Sterling Sulieman) to Oahu, Hawaii. Despite singing since she was young, Sulieman was inspired to follow her muse by a close cousin. Her father, Jameel Sulieman, now a doctor while he worked at the hospital, played drums in several bands while in college. She joined several local choirs and graduated to community and musical theatre at age 11. In high school, she won a statewide talent competition called "Brown Bags," with a moving interpretation of

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

's "Love Is on the Way" which in turn resulted in an independent single release in 1999.

Career

Following the break from her independent single, Sulieman soon signed with Magic Johnson's record label, Magic Johnson Music/MCA Records. She began work on her debut album with producers/songwriters such as Diane Warren, Derek Bramble, Novel and

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, (born April 15, 1974), professionally known as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Sho'nuff Records, to wh ...

, which was a two-year process. The album's lead single "Blue Jeans" was produced by

and released in April 2002. It collected positive reviews and peaked at No. 53 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 97 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A remix featuring

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...

member

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

was released and gained radio airplay. Alongside that single, she performed a rendition of "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

" at a WNBA Los Angeles Sparks basketball game to cheering applause. Her debut album, ''When Will It Be Me'' was released in September 2002 in Japan. The album wasn't released in the United States due to record label issues. In early 2005, she appeared on an in-show music competition on the UPN TV series ''

Half & Half ''Half & Half'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeffrey Klarik that aired on UPN from September 23, 2002, to May 15, 2006. The show focuses on the lives of two paternal half-sisters in their twenties who were estranged throughout t ...

'' called "The Half & Half FastTrak" as one of five finalists selected by

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

. Sulieman didn't win, and she earned the role of Chiffon in the touring musical '' Little Shop of Horrors'' later that year. In August 2006, when Karla Cheatham Mosley announced that she was leaving the Discovery Kids children's television series Hi-5 to pursue other interests, Sulieman took over her place. In 2009, she signed with Strictly Rhythm/Defected Records and has recorded a few dance singles with various DJs. She has released three singles, ''Ready Or Not'', ''Gone'' and ''Rise'' to date on the label. In 2012, she joined Erik Machado (aka Alias Rhythm) as a duo titled Rose Rouge and they released an EP called "Steady." In 2014, she joined the cast of

's '' Beautiful: The Carole King Musical'' as part of the ensemble. She also appears on the cast recording which was released on May 13, 2014 which won a Grammy-award the following year. In 2017, she released a new single with

Sonny Fodera Sonny Fodera is an English / Australian house music DJ and producer living in London. Known for his vocal-driven, pop-forward songs, Fodera has released 5 albums. He has collaborated and remixed artists such as Calvin Harris, Glass Animals, ...

called "Caught Up" on February 17, 2017.

Influences

Her influences include

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, opera, alternative, rock, pop, reggae and traditional Hawaiian music.

Discography

Albums

*"When Will It Be Me" (2002) (September 2, 2002)

EPs

*"Steady" (as Rose Rouge with Erik Machado aka Alias Rhythm) (September 25, 2012)

Singles

*"Love Is On the Way"/"You Don't Have to Cry" (January 4, 1999) *"Blue Jeans" (April 23, 2002) *"Ready Or Not" (June 23, 2009) *"Gone" (November 18, 2009) *"Rise" (w/Danism) (July 12, 2011)

Collaborations

*"Glad I Found You" (w/DJ Gomi) (December 12, 2007) *"Everything" (with DJ Gomi) (August 2, 2008) *"Sun Will Shine" (w/Studio Apartment) (February 9, 2009) *"Tell U Y" (w/ATFC) (March 17, 2009) *"When We're Together" (w/ Morjac & Fred Falke) (April 10, 2009) *"Love" (w/Sandy Rivera) (March 28, 2011) *"Whatever May Come" (w/My Digital Enemy & Jason Chance) (May 21, 2012) *"Set Me Free" (with Maxime Zarcone) (July 25, 2012) *"We Are Tomorrow" (with Pete Tha Zouk & Deepblue) (August 19, 2012) *"Loving You" (with Kenny Summit & Director's Cut) (October 29, 2012) *"Say My Name" (with Copyright) (April 26, 2013) *"Caught Up" (with Sonny Fodera) (February 17, 2017)

References

External links

Official TwitterMySpace ProfileOfficial Label Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulieman, Yasmeen Living people 1982 births African-American actresses 20th-century African-American women singers American children's musicians People from Oahu Musicians from Hawaii 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women