Jill Scott Continues to Follow Her Creative Compass in Her Legendary Career: ‘This Isn’t a Job That I Do — This Is a Mission’

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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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.