After another long hiatus, Jazmine Sullivan has returned and has left us fans wanting more. On January 8, 2021, Jazmine released her long-awaited EP Heaux Tales, and let’s say it did not disappoint. It has been six years since Sullivan’s last release, and fans were holding on to hope she would release something new soon. Well, wait no longer because Heaux Tales is here, and it might be Jazmine’s most raw and vulnerable project yet. Even weeks after its release, it is continuing to make a buzz in the music industry. Heaux Tales, as described by Sullivan, “ [is] my observation of today’s women standing in their power and owning who they are. We are multi-faceted and shouldn’t be defined by any one thing.”
What makes Jazmine’s album stand out is the interludes between songs. The EP features six tracks known as “tales.” They consist of dialogues of real women in Jazmine’s life who share their insecurities, desires, and mistakes in relationships. In “Amanda’s Tale,” Amanda Henderson shares, “It’s a little hurtful that I can’t just be confident in being with one person, that I gotta look over my shoulder, lookin at these girls on Instagram and it’s hard sometimes because I don’t have all that, that they have and the sex has become my superpower, it’s like sex is where I, I’m finding my worth. That’s the one thing that I know I can make you keep coming back to.” In another interlude, “Precious’ Tale,” she says, “When I see a man thrivin; out here, hustlin in many different ways, that turns me on more than anything. Not dealin’ with anyone who does not have money because time knows my work and my childhood plays a big role in this. Me not havin’ stuff as a child, me wanting more out of life, it plays a big role in this.”
Heaux Tales is incredible with Jazmine’s strong vocals alone, but it includes features with Ari Lennox(“On It”), H.E.R (“Girl Like Me,”), and Anderson Paak (“Pricetags”). The theme of female empowerment is prevalent from beginning to end. Jazmine addresses systemic bias and female inclusion the only way she knew how, through her music. Each song plays a part in giving women a space to talk about their insights into love and sex. Jazmine’s EP is a call to action for women to take their power back. Heaux Tales is available on all streaming platforms.