Jazmine Sullivan – “Tragic”

Jazmine Sullivan – “Tragic”

Heaux Tales, Jazmine Sullivan’s first album in six years, is one of the best of 2021 so far. Today, less than six months after the album, she’s already back with new music.

Sullivan wrote her new single “Tragic” with Dutch-born R&B singer-songwriter Leven Kali, who also produced. It’s built around the phrase “reclaiming my time,” which became a meme and, as Vox put it, “a catchphrase for commentary on the Trump administration, racism, misogyny, and other progressive issues,” when California Congresswoman Maxine Waters used it to cut off Secretary Treasurer Steve Mnuchin when he was stalling during a 2017 deposition.

“Tragic” begins with a sample of that moment and proceeds to excoriate a lover whose performance is disappointing Sullivan. A purposeful midtempo glide, the song boasts a nasty bassline and some magnificent vocal outbursts from Sullivan. You don’t want to miss the moment her voice explodes into the line “Don’t you think it’s tragic?” Hear it below.

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