Jazmine Sullivan says breaking music records is ‘not as important’ as her ‘personal happiness’: ‘It’ll always be that way’

• Jazmine Sullivan opened up about accolades being "not as important" to her as her mental health.
• "I just want to be able to continue to make my music and make a change," she said.
• She also noted that her "most prized possession" is her "inner peace."
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Jazmine Sullivan's main concern is not how famous she is, but rather how happy she is.

"I find happiness in the fact that I'm actually able to do what I love. Still breaking record sales and fame is not as important to me as my personal happiness," she told Insider in a recent interview. "It'll always be that way."

Her stance translates to winning awards, too. Sullivan has yet to win a Grammy, despite having been nominated 12 times. While she said she hopes to take one home someday, she reiterated that "my peace, my inner peace is definitely my most prized possession."

And while maintaining stardom may not be a top priority of Sullivan's, garnering respect for herself as a Black woman in the music industry has become an important issue to her.

She was inspired to start advocating for herself after watching her own mom, Pam, struggle with racial disparities in treatment and care after being diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in October 2019. In the US, Black women with breast cancer are approximately 40% more likely to die compared to white women with breast cancer, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Throughout the chemotherapy treatments and hospital visits, Sullivan has been in awe of her mother's "grace, wisdom, and strength," all the way through to her final day of chemo on January 10, 2021.

"Seeing her and everything that she had to do to get equitable care and make sure that she was getting the right care, did make me want to fight for myself and be like, 'You know what? I deserve more. I'm putting in the same work as everybody else. I deserve to be recognized," Sullivan said.

The "Tragic" singer added that her mom's health struggles made her more appreciative of being able to do what she is passionate about - continuing to make music and make a difference in her industry.

"Now that I've gone through this cancer scare with my mom, I appreciate so much that I'm able to do what I love. I appreciate the time that I have on this Earth, and I want to be able to continue to make my music and make a change," she explained. "Those things always will mean more to me than fame."

Sullivan recently partnered with global healthcare company Novartis on its new initiative, More Than Just Words, aimed at addressing racial disparities in healthcare and improving the lives of Black women with breast cancer.