Jazmine Sullivan On 'Heaux Tales,' Dirty Laundry And The Value Of Taking Breaks

For all that feels unstable in the world right now, artists have kept making art — describing life and helping us make sense of things, each in their own way. Jazmine Sullivan, the Grammy nominee behind R&B hits like "Bust Your Windows" and "Need U Bad," has taken the past few years to herself, away from the spotlight, but she returns now with her first album since 2015, Heaux Tales.

Sullivan joined NPR's Michel Martin to talk about why it's important for women to tell their own stories — even the parts they're not proud of — and how a prolonged break from recording gave her the focus to create music that is bracingly honest about her and her friends' experiences with love and relationships. Hear the radio version at the audio link, and read more of their conversation below.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Michel Martin: Your last album, Reality Show, came out in 2015. How do you feel now that Heaux Tales is out?

I'm relieved, definitely, and very excited about the response that I'm getting, what I feel like it's doing for women. When you're creating something, you're never quite sure — at least I'm not — how people are going to take it and interpret it. Since I put it out, it's been such an amazing response; things have