Jill Scott has announced ‘To Whom This May Concern’, her first new album in a decade. Check out the powerful new single ‘Beautiful People’ below.
News of the new album, which will be the sixth from the Grammy-winning musician and poet, arrives today (January 2), and the record is set to drop on February 13 via The Orchard.
To coincide with the announcement, Scott has also shared a first taster from the record – the uplifting lead single, ‘Beautiful People’. The song begins with audio of Scott speaking, quipping that she wants listeners to “listen to everything and every single word”, so that “when [she] gets to the first show, they’re going to be singing right along.”
From there, the song gradually fades in with a hypnotic, funk-inspired bassline, before launching into the classic R&B sound that put her on the map. It carries a message of love and togetherness throughout, with her powerhouse vocals sitting atop rhythmic, ‘70s-tinged instrumentals.
“Our love is bigger than time or race/ Our love is rhythm in time / It resonates in every space / it feels the place,” she sings. “My beautiful people, I just want to be cool with you / I am genuine, I love your soul, I do / I just want to shine in the night like a star with you”.
Check it out below.
As for the album as a whole, ‘To Whom This May Concern’ sees the artist lean into themes of connectivity, humanity, and collective home.
It also comes with collaborations from the likes of Ab-Soul, J.I.D., Tierra Whack and Too $hort, and marks an extension of the songwriter’s aim to inspire, uplift, and remind us that being present with love and truth is often the most important thing of all.
Producers who have worked on the forthcoming album include Adam Blackstone, Om’Mas Keith, DJ Premier, Camper, Andre Harris, Seige Montracity, Trombone Shorty, Eric Wortham, DW Wright, and VT Tolan, and it is Scott’s first new album in nearly 10 years.
Artwork comes from acclaimed visual artist Marcellus, and the upcoming release follows on the heels of Scott celebrating 20 years of her Grammy-winning debut, ‘Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1’, and heading out on a US tour to mark the occasion.
Visit here to pre-order the album.
Although she has not shared a new album in nearly a decade, the singer’s legacy has remained untouched in recent years, with accolades including three Grammy Awards, and her albums ‘Woman’ (2015) and ‘The Light of the Sun’ (2011) both debuting at Number One on the Billboard 200.
Her breakthrough record arrived in 2000 and peaked at Number Three on the charts, as did her 2004 album ‘Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2’.
Outside of music, Scott has also cemented her legacy as a New York Times bestselling author, with her poetry collection The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours receiving widespread critical acclaim.
Screen credits also include appearances on Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? (a role she will return to in Why Did I Get Married Again?), HBO’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, the James Brown biopic Get On Up, and a guest slot on ABC’s Abbott Elementary.
As for other Jill Scott news, back in 2024 her song ‘Golden’ featured on Barack Obama’s annual summer playlist, which showcased his favourite songs at the time. It featured as one of over 40 songs from artists such as Billie Eilish, Shaboozey, Beyoncé, Tyla, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and much more.