Jill Scott at The Chicago Theatre

Jill Heather Scott (born April 4, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, model, poet, and actress. She gained recognition with her 2000 debut album, "Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1", which was certified platinum. Her subsequent albums, "Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2" (2004) and "The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3" (2007), were both certified gold. She released her fourth album, "The Light of the Sun", in 2011, followed by "Woman" in 2015, and her sixth album, "To Whom This May Concern", in February 2026. Scott was born in Philadelphia and grew up as an only child, raised by her mother and grandmother. She traces part of her maternal ancestry to the Jola people of Guinea-Bissau and was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and later studied secondary education at Temple University with the intention of becoming a high school English teacher, but left college after working as a teacher’s aide. Scott began her career as a spoken word artist and was discovered by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of the Roots, leading to a co-writing credit on the song "You Got Me". She collaborated with artists such as Eric Benet, Will Smith, and Common, and toured in a production of the Broadway musical "Rent". She was the first artist signed to Hidden Beach Recordings. Her debut single "A Long Walk" earned a Grammy nomination, and she won a Grammy in 2005 for Best Urban/Alternative R&B Performance for "Cross My Mind". She won a second Grammy in 2007 for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for her collaboration on "God Bless The Child" with George Benson and Al Jarreau. In 2007, Scott made her film debut in "Hounddog" and "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?", and in 2008 she starred in the BBC/HBO series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency". Her music continued with live albums "Experience: Jill Scott 826+" (2001) and "Live in Paris+" (2008), as well as the compilation "Collaborations" (2007). She faced a lawsuit from Hidden Beach Records in 2010 over contract disputes and released "The Original Jill Scott from the Vault, Vol. 1" as part of the resolution. Scott’s fifth studio album, "Woman", was her first release with Atlantic Records and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. She promoted her albums through tours such as the Maxwell & Jill Scott co-headlining tour and her Summer Block Party tour. Her sixth album, "To Whom This May Concern", was preceded by the single "Beautiful People" and marked her return after a decade-long hiatus. Scott has appeared in film and television, including "Get on Up" (2014) and "Black Lightning" (2018) as Lady Eve. She has collaborated with numerous artists, including Lupe Fiasco on "Daydreaming", Dr. Dre on "For the Love of Money", Pharoahe Monch on "Still Standing", and was featured on The Hamilton Mixtape. Her songs have been covered or featured in other media, including Goldtrix’s "It’s Love (Trippin')", South West Beats, and the video game "Grand Theft Auto IV". She has also performed in live events documented in "Dave Chappelle's Block Party" (2006) and participated in a 2020 live-streamed musical battle with Erykah Badu. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Scott_(singer) Studio albums Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000) Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 (2004) The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 (2007) The Light of the Sun (2011) Woman (2015) To Whom This May Concern (2026)