Yasmeen Sulieman

Yasmeen Sulieman (born May 19, 1982)^[1][2][3] is an American singer, songwriter and Broadway actress born in Oakland, California and raised in Hawaii.^[4] She is best known for her 2002 R&B single "Blue Jeans" in addition to her ensemble work in the Tony Award-winning Broadway 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 younger brother - actor Sterling Sulieman) to Hawaii. Singing since she was a little girl, Sulieman was inspired to follow her muse by a close cousin. Her father, Jameel Sulieman, now a doctor, 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's "Love Is On The Way" which in turn resulted in an independent single release in 1999.^[5]

Career

Following the buzz 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, which was a two-year process. The album's lead single "Blue Jeans" was produced by Jazze Pha and released in April 2002. It garnered positive reviews and peaked at #53 on the Billboard R&B chart and #97 on Billboard Hot 100. A remix featuring Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah was released and gained airplay. Alongside that single, she performed a rendition of the "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a WNBA L.A. Sparks game to rousing applause.^[6]

Her debut album, When Will It Be Me was released in September 2002 in Japan. Following some label issues, the album's release in the United States were cancelled.

In early 2005, she appeared on an in-show music competition on the hit UPN series Half & Half called "The Half & Half FastTrak" as one of five finalists selected by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.^[7] Although she did not win, she earned the role of Chiffon in the touring musical Little Shop of Horrors^[8][9] later that year.^[10]

In July 2007, when Karla Mosley announced that she was leaving the hit children's television series Hi-5 in order to pursue other interests, Sulieman took over her place.^[11]

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 Broadway's Beautiful: the Carole King Musical as part of the ensemble.^[12][13] She also appears on the cast recording which was released on May 13, 2014^[14] which won a Grammy-award the following year.

In 2017, she released a new single with Sonny Fodera called "Caught Up" on February 17, 2017.

Influences

Her influences include Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, opera, alternative, rock, Top-40, reggae and Hawaiian music.^[15]

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 Twitter
• MySpace Profile
• Official Label Site