Why Jill Scott Left Music for a Decade and How Past 'Bad Decisions' and Joy Inspired Her New Album (Exclusive)

Janine RubensteinWed, March 4, 2026 at 4:35 PM UTC

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Jill ScottCredit: Kennedi Carter -

Jill Scott just released her first album in a decade, called To Whom This May Concern

The R&B star opens up about the personal reasons she put music on hold

"I don't regret it at all," she says of past "bad decisions" in her love life

Feet up in bed, about to dig into the drama that is Netflix’s America’s Next Top Model documentary, Jill Scott is the epitome of unbothered. She just got over a nasty bout of COVID, and her first album in more than a decade is finally out for all to hear.

“I feel relieved,” Scott, 53, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. Having released To Whom This May Concern, she says, "My baby’s outside, and people are responding to it in beautiful ways and actually listening, which gives me the greatest joy."

Jill ScottCredit: Marcellus

Aside from her rich, warm mezzosoprano pipes, joy might be Scott’s biggest calling card. It helped the Philadelphia native wow fans and critics in 2000 with her double-platinum debut, Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1, which included the playful neo-soul hit “A Long Walk.”

The sweet, knowing smile she first showcased in that music video has remained throughout life’s highs — including three Grammys, welcoming her son Jett in 2009 (with drummer Lil’ John Roberts) and kicking off a successful acting career.

Jill ScottCredit: Hidden Beach Recordings

But amid hardships, like two divorces, she kept her glow by taking a step back. "I needed time to be with my family, raise my kid to the best of my ability,” she says. Moreover, she adds, "I’m in the middle of menopause right now. I’m different in ways that I didn’t intend on being different, but I’m here, and I love what I do. It’s a thrill and a privilege."

Scott’s knack for finding a silver lining came from growing up in North Philly.

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"My mother and I had a rough go of it in the beginning,” she says. “We were in a community where you would hear gunshots on a regular basis. There was a summer when I lost a lot of friends, young men that I knew. My mother taught me to keep looking for beauty no matter what. I just kept finding a reason to believe in myself."

Jill Scott performs onstage during the 2025 ESSENCE FestivalCredit: Paras Griffin/WireImage

On To Whom, Scott—who’s known as much for empowering anthems as she is for love songs—lays bare the pain she’s faced from past relationships, like her contentious divorce from businessman Mike Dobson after their 2017 split.

Jill Scott attends as SiriusXM's Shade 45 presents Sway In The Morning with Jill Scott at SiriusXM Studios on February 11, 2026 in New York City.Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty

But hindsight is 20/20. “I definitely made some bad decisions based on the fact that I liked someone, a couple of times, I think,” Scott says. “But trust me, even in that, I don’t regret it at all. It got me here in this place and time in my life.”

What she’s learned: “Keep some things to myself. But I also deeply believe that an artist is meant to bare the soul. Billie Holiday was sad, and I didn’t understand it until I got sad, until my heart was broken.”

Why Did I Get Married? PosterCredit: © Lionsgate Films

Scott explored heartbreak onscreen with her starring role in Tyler Perry’s 2007 drama Why Did I Get Married? In the years since, she’s leaned hard into acting, most recently starring on BET+’s TV remake First Wives Club, which ran for three seasons, starting in 2019. “I love the possibility of becoming someone outside myself for a time,” she says of acting.

Jill Scott and son Jett Hamilton RobertsCredit: Miss Jill Scott/Facebook

But it’s nothing compared to her greatest joy: son Jett. “These past 10 years I was really focused on making sure he was great so that I could get to this portion of my existence,” Scott says. “I’ve been waiting to be this age and in this place my whole life. I’m speaking from time and growth, some failures and beautiful successes. I’m really happy to be here.”

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”