The Return of the Queen: Jill Scott’s Sixth Offering 'To Whom This May Concern' Is a Love Letter to Humanity
Sisterhood, spiritual restoration, and the "Jill" we grew up with.
Three-time GRAMMY winner, poet, and our eternal “North Philly Sister” Jill Scott has officially announced her sixth studio album, To Whom This May Concern, arriving February 13 via Human Re Sources/The Orchard. The lead single, “Beautiful People,” is out now, serving as a lush, funk-drenched reminder that even in a chaotic world, our collective spirit is “bigger than time or race.”
For Jill, music has never just been about the charts; it’s been about the medicine. As she once told Vibe, her work is “a dive into the human spirit.” This new project, her first in a decade, is a proverbial carpetbag of wisdom featuring Ab-Soul, J.I.D., Tierra Whack, and Too $hort, with production by legends like DJ Premier and Adam Blackstone.
The project is visual as much as it is sonic, featuring evocative artwork by artist Marcellus. This “medicine” of a record arrives at a time when we need Scott’s “grit and grace” more than ever.
To understand the healing power of Jill Scott is to walk through the sanctuary of her discography. It began with the 2000 blueprint, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, a debut so seismic that Questlove famously recalled Jill simply “stepping into an opportunity” and, in doing so, permanently altering the DNA of the Philly soul scene. By 2004, she offered us Beautifully Human: Vol. 2, a masterclass in self-preservation anchored by “Golden”—the ultimate anthem for reclaiming one’s light. She reached a sonic zenith with 2011’s The Light of the Sun, a #1 Billboard triumph reflecting a woman in her full, unadulterated power. As producer James Poyser notes, the magic lies in her organic honesty: “The song will tell you how to play it... it’s not coerced or fake. It’s real.”
As she prepares to open her proverbial carpetbag once more, we aren't just waiting for new music—we are waiting for the exhale. Jill Scott remains our reminder that when we lead with truth and melody, the healing isn’t just possible; it’s inevitable.