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Jazmine Sullivan "Lost One" asset

Source: Adedayo Kosoko / Adedayo Kosoko

Oftentimes, music is a collaborative effort. With that being said, it shouldn’t be a surprise that artists write music for other artists. Before we hear the songs that we eventually fall in love with on the radio, they were more than likely being shopped behind the scenes. This is especially true when it comes to R&B. Although they have hits of their own, artists such as The Dream, Ne-Yo, Swae Lee and even Future have written some of our favorite love ballads and we might not ever have known.

With so much going on that we don’t get to see, it isn’t shocking that some of the biggest hits we’ve heard in our lifetimes might not have initially been for the artist we heard performing the. A Twitter user named @Kaybogus shared an example of how common this whole process is. The artists involved in this specific instance might catch you off guard.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning Philadelphia native Jazmine Sullivan has been a prominent voice in R&B for quite some time now. Since 2008, when she released her first album Fearless, she’s been churning out hits for herself and others. Her latest effort, Heaux Tales dropped early last year (January 8, 2021) and the deluxe version of the album followed a month later (February 11). One of the songs off of the deluxe “Hurt Me So Good” earned her two nominations (Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance) at the upcoming Grammy Awards, which will take place February 5, 2023.

When you hear how effortlessly Jazmines weaves through the song, it’s hard to believe that it was made for anyone else besides her. In reality, before it was hers, it was Jojo‘s track. That’s right, the “Leave” and “Too Little Too Late” singer was in possession of the song first before it reached Sullivan.

The only reason the song didn’t end up staying with Jojo was because her label didn’t offer enough money for them to keep it. Although the song ended up with Jazmine and the rest is history, there is a demo of the two on the song together floating around on YouTube that you can listen to here.

JoJo New Single and Album Artwork

Source: Courtesy Warner Music / Warner Music

This is yet another one of those “we would have never known” stories that we love hearing when it comes to music. Could you have imagined Jojo releasing the song instead of Jazmine? Whose version do you like better? Do you think Jazmine will win the Grammys? Let us know in the comments!