Original on Original: Two R&B Icons on the Impact of Unique Voices

The definition of an “original” seems elusive, yet you always know them when you see them. They set trends, shape genres, and introduce ideas that influence the next generation of classics. R&B recording artists Jazmine Sullivan and Ravyn Lenae are great examples.

Signed to her first major record label at age 15 in 2002, Sullivan has since released four studio albums, including the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Heaux Tales. Along the way, she’s become a music industry icon, renowned for her powerful voice and raw, resonant storytelling. The native Philadelphian has achieved numerous music industry milestones in her two-decade-plus career—from collecting prestigious awards, to performing at major events and garnering hundreds of millions of streams.

Lenae also began her recording artist journey as a teenager when she dropped her debut LP Moon Shoes at 17. Since then, her work has blended R&B, pop, bounce, and soul into her own signature sound. This year, she’s performing at one of pop music’s biggest festivals, opening for major mainstream acts, and blazing a trail all her own. (But not without giving those who came before her, like Sullivan—who she credits as an inspiration—their flowers).

Inspired by the all-new 2025 Lincoln Navigator® SUV—the original luxury Lincoln SUV—W brought the two R&B recording artists together to talk about the impact of individuality. Like Sullivan and Lenae, the all-new 2025 Lincoln Navigator® SUV strikes a harmonious balance between classic artistry and tech-age innovation. Its signature front grille makes an impression from the outside, while its sweeping 48-inch panoramic display and state-of-the-art Revel® Ultima 3D Audio System* make driving both comfortable and cinematic. Activate Lincoln Rejuvenate** to enjoy the SUV’s reclining massage seats, mood-based ambient lighting, guided meditation tracks and a digital scent-based feature.

Below, witness these two voices in conversation about creative instincts, pushing through writer’s block, and developing a style all your own.

Ravyn Lenae: Jazmine, I’m such a fan of yours. You’re one of the vocal bibles for sure. What was that breakthrough moment for you?

Jazmine Sullivan: Honestly I still feel like I’m breaking through. Everything always feels new to me all the time. When I first started, I had this huge meeting with the CEO of my first record company. Me and my mom were hustling, trying to make it on time, stuck in New York City traffic. We got there late and we had missed the meeting. I thought my life was over.

I kept going and doing my thing and honed in on my craft. The next time I got a meeting with this same executive, I was producing and writing my own music. I went there better than how I had originally been. It’s been a journey for me, but moments that are meant for you will come.

RL: Timing is divine in that way.

RL: I’m sure over your journey there have been moments where there are a lot of voices, a lot of opinions. How have you found the solace and the space to silence that?

JS: My mother was really my guiding light. She passed [away] a couple years ago. She was really that inner voice for me that just reminded me I could do anything... You need that voice! Now that she’s passed I have to have that for myself.

RL: Shout out moms!

JS: Yeah…

RL: They make it happen.

RL: What’s the best way for you to escape writer’s block?

JS: When it comes, it comes.

RL: [When it comes to writer’s block], I’ve become better at just telling myself, “Let’s take a break. Let’s go outside. Let’s take a week off and go to the beach.” I try to encourage myself to have human moments outside of the studio to gain perspective, take my mind off of writing, and the relieve pressures around it. Let’s not force it. It’ll come.

JS: I’m not thinking of the future so much as I’m thinking, “How do I make it through today? How do I laugh today? How do I do something that I love? How do I love somebody?” And hopefully that will accumulate into something beautiful.

JS: Do you remember a moment where you thought you blew it, but then it ended up working out?

RL: [Early on in my career, when I was opening for different artists], one time the crowd started booing. And—this is funny now—but at the moment it was horrible. I think looking back in hindsight, it really thickened my skin in a necessary way, being vulnerable like that in front of strangers. I’d say that was a pivotal moment for me in terms of deciding if this was something I could really withstand.

JS: [On the topic of being an original], I think originality means being brave. You have to be very brave to stand in your own skin. It’s very easy to copy and do what you think everyone loves.

RL: I think being original is really about listening to my own voice and figuring out what makes me tick. Just those small things that really make me who I am!

JS: [On the topic of listening to your own voice], I try not to listen to a lot of [other] music when I’m working on a project. I like to block everything out so that what I create feels like me. I’m very “tunnel vision” in that sense.

RL: I’m the same way, especially when I’m working on a project. I like to listen to a lot of older stuff, but I don’t listen to new stuff cause I don’t want it to veer in any direction.

JS: I know, right? I’m a sponge! So I’ll listen to something one time, then I’ll go into the studio and think: “Did I create that or was it somebody else?!”

RL: That’s me! A piece of advice I’ve been given that I think about a lot is that when you’re making a song, if you can take away all the [production] elements except for piano and lyrics, then you have something. That’s an idea I often return to just in life and being creative, period. Being able to pull back and make something that feels [magical].

JS: When it’s at its bones. If it’s special then, it’s really special.

Channel the energy of an original, and test drive the all-new 2025 Lincoln Navigator® SUV today.