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AIPROPX ReportBillboard · 2h ago
Jill Scott Continues to Follow Her Creative Compass in Her Legendary Career: ‘This Isn’t a Job That I Do
It’s the day after Jill Scott has finished a four-night run of concerts at The Met in Philadelphia, and the Philly native can’t contain her jubilation.
“Last night I got the key to Philadelphia!” she shouts over Zoom. “This is out of control. It’s a beautiful ride.”
Twenty-six years after showing the world the multifaceted answer to the question her debut album posed — Who Is Jill Scott? — the artist who once wore a hard hat while working at a demolition company and scooped ice cream at her local parlor to pay the bills has become one of R&B’s defining voices.
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The three-time Grammy winner is celebrated for her fearless songwriting and a genre-blurring style that seamlessly weaves soul, hip-hop, jazz and spoken word. In February, after an 11-year recording hiatus (during which she featured on songs by artists including Kehlani and Tyla), Scott released her sixth album, To Whom This May Concern , to a still fervent fanbase. The project wasn’t so much a comeback as a reminder that authenticity never goes out of style.
“Honestly, this isn’t a job that I do — this is a mission,” says Scott, 54, of what inspired her return to music. “I’m not a pastor, but I kind of look at it that way. You got to go away, go to Mecca, take some time and do some yoga. Experience something else because you don’t want to pull from the same places that you did before. You’re different now. You have to find ways to communicate the differences in yourself as an artist.”
Quieting her mind and trusting her creative compass paid off. To Whom This May Concern debuted in the top 10 across seven Billboard charts and included “Pressha,” her first No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay list in 13 years. Scott is keeping herself busy outside the studio, too: She’ll reprise her role as Sheila Jackson in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Again? , debuting Sept. 9 on Netflix.
“I’m happiest now because I’m listening to myself,” Scott says. “I’m honoring myself, and To Whom This May Concern , the title is just that: I’m doing this for the people who rock with me and the people who will. They may not be ready yet, but they will. I believe it.”
Having now expanded your artistry beyond music into acting, what does performing live still mean to you?
Aw, man. It’s really like a family reunion with people that I mostly never met, but it feels that way because I’ve been in their birthing rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and cars. I’ve been where they are. There’s this beautiful love between us and it just feels like a warm hug. I just want to do the best I can because I know they’re spending their hard-earned money to come see me, so I want to give them the best show that I possibly can. It really matters. They’ve given me a life — a life that I’ve dreamed of.
To Whom This May Concern debuted in the top 10 on seven different Billboard charts. After such a long break between albums, what did that response tell you about the relationship you’ve built with your fans?
I grew up listening to Bette Midler and Frankie Beverly. I designed my career after them. Anytime I hear [Beverly] sing “Golden Time of Day,” I’m going to put my arms in the air and probably cry because it’s that real for me. I wanted to create music that touches people in a very real place. Make ’em laugh. Make ’em horny. Make ’em think. Make ’em question, you know? That’s the job as an artist.
I went to go see Bette Midler [in 2015] — it was an arena [show] and we were all singing and celebrating this incredible woman and her diverse creativity. I’m like, “I want to be diverse.” And I saw how Frankie Beverly’s career extended. It was beyond time. [Beverly and Maze] hadn’t had an album out in 25 years, but I couldn’t tell. That’s what I want. I want love that sustains.
Scott
Shaun Llewellyn
Did you realize earlier in your career that you were helping expand the possibilities of R&B, or were you simply following your creative instincts?
Well, I was right in the midst of all this juice. I came out in the time of Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and The Roots. The Roots are such pioneers in the neo-soul movement and I had the privilege of writing [”You Got Me”] for them. We spent a lot of time jam-sessioning and doing things without cameras. We were in the dark creating music that felt good to us. That’s really what’s been my focal point — creating music that feels good and sincere to me, [and] that the musicality is such that other musicians will want to play it as well.
As a songwriter, what joy do you find in writing today that you couldn’t fully appreciate when you were younger?
I don’t know — writing a good song is a high and that has not changed. The devotion to songwriting is still the same. I want to be as clear as I can be with these thoughts and feelings, even if they’re written in poetry. I want the music to express the feelings as well. I’m still a de-vo-tee.
What role does poetry still play in your life today?
It’s an everyday occurrence. I’ve been reading [James Redfield’s 1993 novel] The Celestine Prophecy for about three, four years now, and one of the key components to the book is to find beauty everywhere you look. That is what poetry is. Even in the depths of grief or the highest of accolades, you find beauty in everything. The trees across the streets in the park, [or] the dog wagging its tail. My life is poetry — I live this way. Poetry is in cooking. Poetry is how you decorate your house. What is it that you’re trying to say? What is it you want someone to feel?
Before releasing To Whom This May Concern , you collaborated with Kehlani, Teyana Taylor and rapper Conway The Machine. What did working alongside them teach you a...
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