“I feel like we get caught up in thinking there’s ‘only one’ of us. There can only be one R&B superstar; there can only be one rap girl at a time. That’s not true. God was not stingy when He was giving out gifts. And you’re not the only person. There are many other women, especially Black women, who can do what you do. And let’s all create spaces for each other to get out there and do that…”
“The first five minutes I was holding back tears, because I was like, ‘Wow, this is the first time I’m actually speaking about my feelings. And it’s not in a song. It doesn’t require notes. I don’t need to impress anybody with what it is that I’m actually doing. This is the first time.’ So I was holding back tears even doing that. But after that first five minutes, I was surprised by how much I was enjoying speaking to somebody, and somebody listening to me, and I didn’t have to perform to do it. But finding the right therapist is a process—because I went to therapy one time, years ago, and I hated the experience, and I feel like it stopped me from going for a long time. And then I found this new lady, and it’s a totally different experience. So you have to find the right person for you, that you actually want to open up to. But once you do that, a weight lifts off of you—just from speaking, just from telling your story. And that’s what ‘Heaux Tales’ was. It’s like, ‘Tell it, girl. Tell it. Set yourself free.’”
ON FINDING THE RIGHT THERAPIST:
In case you missed it, Jazmine Sullivan is the ESSENCE Festival of Culture Presented by Coca-Cola headliner. The festival will stream across two weekends June 25-27 and July 2-4 on ESSENCE.com and ESSENCEStudios.com.
Finding the right therapist is so essential! We’re glad Jazmine is working on her mental health and that her music has helped with that healing. It sure helped us! What’s your favorite song off ‘Heaux Tales’?