Jazmine Sullivan Wins Grammy for Heaux Tales : 'Safe Space for Black Women to Tell Their Stories'
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Jazmine Sullivan was shocked to take home the award for best R&B album at the 2022 Grammy Awards — but the work that got her there, she said, was so meaningful.
The singer, 34, received the honor on Sunday night for Heaux Tales, beating out fellow nominees Snoh Aalegra, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges and H.E.R.
"I don't know what I heard. I almost didn't believe it but I'm so grateful to be up here," Sullivan told the audience in her acceptance speech., before giving a nod to H.E.R., joking, "Shout-out to H.E.R. for wearing these glasses in the dark, girl. I fell like 15 times tonight."
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Sullivan told the crowd that she wrote Heaux Tales "to deal with my own shame and unforgiveness around some of the sins that I made in my 20s that weren't favorable."
"But," she continued, "what it ended up being was a safe space for Black women to tell their stories, for us to learn from each other, laugh with each other and not be exploited at the same time."
"And that's what I'm most grateful for," she said.
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"Shoutout to all Black women who are just living their lives and being beautiful and I love you all," Sullivan said in her speech, before thanking everyone else who had helped her create her album, as well as her mother and father and friends and family, plus her fans and her "man."
Sullivan released Heaux Tales, her fourth album, in January 2021. The 14-track album also features Ari Lennox, Anderson .Paak and H.E.R.
The album was highly acclaimed and landed on multiple annual best album lists in 2021 from publications including Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.
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Sullivan opened up about being nominated for a Grammy Award while speaking to Variety ahead of Sunday's ceremony.
"Not a lot of things matter with all that I've been through. I feel as if I have always gotten acclaim from people that I care about and respect," she told the outlet. "I also treasure the things that truly matter."
She continued, "In my older age, that means the most. Like, I've been able to perform with Stevie Wonder. Girl, that's a big deal. That's the reward."
Sullivan said that if she were to win best R&B album, "that would be nice," telling Variety, "Not just for me, but for underdogs. That's why people are rooting for me. I've been at this for a minute and always put my best foot forward."
The 64th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, are airing and streaming live on Sunday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
