Jill Scott is in her ‘auntie’ era

Each episode will speak with a special guest, listen to musical gems, play music inspired games,

“and answer questions from our listeners. The first episode drops March 4th.”

Listen on the NPR app. This is Fresh Air, I'm Tanya Mosley, and my guest today is singer, songwriter and actor Jill Scott. She released her sixth studio album to whom this may

concern last month, her first new music in a decade. Here's a single from the album called "Presha."

me and that chat don't sit back. I wasn't theest lady. I guess I guess I get it. So much pressure to be just like them. Pretty and got married. Elementary, I feel better. So much pressure to be just like them. Just like them. Just like them. So much pressure to be just like them.

“This song recently went to number one on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay Chart.”

And it's about the weight of being asked to look sound and move through the world a certain way, and being desired and private, but not claimed in public. And the quiet courage it takes to stop performing for someone else's comfort. Jill Scott has been making music for more than 25

years. The story goes that Quest Love of the Roots first discovered her is part of Philadelphia's

spoken word scene. Her 2,000 debut, who is Jill Scott, words and sounds volume one, answered its own question with double platinum sales, three Grammy nominations, and a sound that is helped to find

“Neo-Soul. Since then, Scott has won three Grammys, written a bestselling book of poetry,”

and built an acting career that has spanned from HBO's The Number One Ladies Detective Agency, BET plus's First Wives Club, and the role of Sheila in Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married. A character so beloved, Tyler Perry is bringing her back this year, and why did I get married again for Netflix? And Jill Scott, welcome to Fresh Air. Thank you. It's a pleasure to have you. I feel the same way. I'm so happy to be here. That's song, pressure. What a song for your first

single and 13 years. It comes from such a personal place, and I just want to know the inspiration behind it. Pressure was one of the last songs that I got. I've been collecting music from producers for quite some time in order to make this album, and I heard it, and I loved the dissonance in the chords. The chords felt so dark and haunting, but it also the music felt very sexy as well. Like, what is this energy? And I put paper to pin, and those are the first things that came out.

I wanted you to be mine in the daytime as well as the night. Oh, this is someone who is desired, but not claimed. And I liked that idea because I know that there, there are people who didn't choose my beloved Beyonce. You know, there are people who passed on Tyler the creator. It's not specifically just for someone who is plus-sized or who is brown skin or who has freckles or you know, is boldly. It's the fact that you could be all of what you are and someone

would pass on it, desire you privately, but because society says that someone has to look a certain way or be a certain way or that you want to gain favor by having someone who looks a certain

way on your arm. You know, I've seen it a lot and it's always disturbed me quite frankly

that you're not even choosing what you actually like. There's a widely circulated essay from a

she used that term in specifically. And I want to read an excerpt. She writes, "What Jill Scott offers

“in pressure is something rare. She names the weight grown women carry quietly. The pressure to”

be everything, hold everything, absorb everything, and will still make it look graceful. She understands what it feels like to realize you weren't rejected because you lack value, but because your fullness didn't fit someone else's image." Word. Absolutely. Well said. How does I feel to start with something that's so rough and raw and then you create this piece of work with an intention and then your intention is received? It's overwhelming. It really is overwhelming.

I know what I meant. I know how much I wanted the album to reach people in a real way. I wanted it so bad. I wanted it so I know work so hard for it. I pined over every line. Every word, every inflection. When you say you wanted it so bad, I mean, the headline of this record, this album, was it's been 10 years. It's been a whole decade. Yes. And you've been gone living life and doing your own thing. And when you say you've been pining it, you've been wanting it. What do you

mean? Was that break intentional or was it also a mix of you just trying to find your way back in some way to get to that thing that you're talking about? I literally loved writing from the very first

“time I read Nikki Giovanni's poetry. I loved it. How old was that when was that? I was, I think”

12 or 13. I loved it. Never really saw myself on paper before. I could smell the lotion between

my grandmother's legs when she would break my hair when I read Nikki Giovanni. I love that. I want to write like that. And when you say you want to write like that, I think for me, one of the most powerful things about Nikki Giovanni, she made the ordinary, so beautiful. It was the place you wanted to be talking about the joy of killing a pregnant Roach, you know? Yes, I know that joy. There's actually a song on the album called "Ode to Nikki." That's right. And what's really

powerful about it is it's in the cadence of the way Nikki wrote. I want to play a little bit of it and

we'll talk a little bit more about it on the other side. She is not trapped in a perpetual loop. They are not doing when they are used to. He is not sitting on the same concrete wishing. She is a living alive, cellisting prophecy. He can actually taste his own vibrancy. She is swaying to her symphony, rocking, rocking her hammock, feeling the breeze, self-motivating, self-satisfactioning, wonderful curiosity, exciting pages crumble, much pride, much humble, much humble,

no more dumbing down for what for more, exquisite use, intentional luxury, mind-bending discipline, time-life simplicity, same particle, beautiful wings touch by the sun, redefining shining, vibrating sonically. That was my guess Jill Scott, and that's a cut from her latest album to whom this may concern. And that cut is called "Ode to Nikki." And you were really young,

“so you were about 12 or 13 when you first had her. Do you remember what it was you were reading?”

No, I honestly don't remember what it was. I should, I remember the pictures, and I remember how I felt. It was a book of poetry, but my English teacher and I was friend Danish. She gave us a list of people to do essay about and I landed on Nicky Giovanni, and I just thought it was probably like some Italian guy or some Italian lady. Yes, and I found this poet. Ego Trippin, obviously, you know, was was big for me, particularly in the quote-unquote Neo-Soul era.

We were all discovering poets and having poetry slams. In college, I tried to get into

our class and couldn't, yeah, oh, I tried, couldn't get into that class. I never actually

had a chance to shake her hand, you never matter, and never matter. But the impact is massive.

it's come out on your blues bay records. That is your label. You own this one completely.

“Has it offered you the freedom to be able to really sit in that pocket that you sit in that allows”

you to speak that truth in the way that you do? Yes, everything, everything has led me to this place. As this 53-year-old woman who is, you know, maneuvering her career the way she wants to, how she wants to, when she wants to, for whom she wants to. This is all been a part of the the plan I didn't know. That was even happening. But I love it. I'm the same little girl who read a poem for my eighth grade graduation and got a standing ovation. And I meant what I said,

“the school that I went to, it had air condition, it had carpets on the floor, it had lockers,”

it had lunch, and from the school that I had come from before, you know, this was a revelation. This was everything, it set me up for wanting more, right? So that little girl who reads the poem,

and everybody stands up, and I've never really done anything in public before, you know.

Got this, this, yes, so we hear you, we feel you, we understand it, we see it too. It let me know that I wasn't alone, that there are people who dream for real. This is what to whom this

“making sereness is all about. It's that little girl, mix with some some living, you know,”

being a daughter, my father passed, being a mother. My son is in this critical area, being a daughter as well to my to my mother. That's a whole other dynamic. Now I'm the leader in our household, you know, when my mother has been my mother. Now I have to mother my mother, like oh, a lot of stuff I turned 50, there was a light that bled loudly in my ears, and there's no going back. I'm here now. This is the best life I have ever had, period. You are at this place of such beauty,

where you say, "I am living the life I want to live, I am the age that I have always dreamed of

being, but has it always been that way for you?" For me, it really is about the journey. Listen, all that I wanted was a house-owned spring garden, and that's in Philly. Yeah. That's a wet spring garden, like three or four story homes. They have white marble steps with rod, iron, bannisters, tall ceilings with very intricate crown molding and hardwood floors. I mean dream. I would walk by their real slow, hoping that somebody would have their window

or their door open so I could take a peek. That's not what I come from, but I wanted it. There's all I wanted that was it, and I was going to sit on the steps with my cat, and I was going to drink coffee with my legs crossed. That was the dream. Yes. My crown molding is so beautiful. It's it's here a moment when you realized every day, every day, every day. I'm sure it's annoying. You know, I'm sure somehow somewhere in somebody that this is annoying that anybody could feel

so self-satisfied, I feel satisfied when so often everything seems so terrible. Relationships are bad, kids are bad, the system is bad, and it's really, really is, and there are people who live within the light. They follow their inner voice, even when it sucks. They make terrible,

You grew up primarily with your mom and your grandmother and northfilly. Yes. And

this is not always the case, but the thing that I've been thinking about is some of the lessons

that you learn by being in a multi-generational home of women. You're someone who exudes very much femininity and softness, but also kind of a way of being. You set this intention with every piece of music that you put out there. What was your multi-generational household like? Good question. First of all, full of love and humor. My mother and my grandmother both competed for my attention. Yep, through humor. Sometimes, sometimes, I've been beloved. Okay,

so they competed for my attention. My grandmother was born in 1917. She had a whole bunch of stories.

Bunches and bunches of stories. She's brown, so brown, and her skin texture was like a soft

peach. Oh, stunning. She looks very much like the actress. I think her name is Wumi.

“Oh, from centers. Yes. Uh-huh. Yeah. That's what my grandmother looked like.”

She's the one that gave me God. My grandma. She introduced you to God here. Well, she also a singer herself. Yes, but only in private. I think I've heard you say she sounded like mahalia Jackson. Something like that. Just sincere. What were the other ways that your mom and grandma tried to get your attention, compete for your attention? That's an interesting

thing because typically it's the other way around. The kid is trying to get the attention of the adults.

No. Um, my grandmother was in the front room. My mother was in the back, and I could go and visit one, and then I had to go and visit the other, and then go visit the other, and that was my days. You know, going back and forth, but they wouldn't come together. Now, they worked together

“beautifully in creating a home. A home was very, very important to my grandmother, and became”

very important to my mother as well. Um, we lived in North Philadelphia. There were lots of ROD and T.S.s. Yeah. My mother fought them hand in nail like literally, literally. My son approaches. Yes. They fought them hard, and she won. Um, she got the house next door to us. It had been abandoned. It was one of the reasons why there was so much going on. Got that house clean at house up. Do you remember when she decided I'm going to buy that house

next door? And I'm a, I'm a clean it up. And what you thought as a young girl watching your mom do that, I just thought it was dope. These are the things I expect out of her. My mother will make your pair of pants. You know, she could do that. Make your great soup that will keep you full all day long. You know, she could do that. She started doing drywall with people. You know, a way to make money, but also to learn how to put up drywall. And then she started learning how to

put down hard with floors and then some plumbing. So she was hanging around some people that knew how to do some things. Was this all in her day job? Because she was a dental hygienist too, right? Right, for a while. Um, she was a dental hygienist till I was about 14. But then, you know, after that, it was, I'm going to do whatever I want. And that was a little tough because we didn't know, you know, how we were eating. But she did what she wanted to do. And one of the things she

“wanted to do was clean up this house. It was important to her. And that's what she did. Because”

all those rotons and in a abandoned house is making it their way to your house. Right. Yeah. Right. Was there a lot of music in your home? There was some. Uh-huh. There were nights when my mother wanted to talk and she would play Millie Jackson. And we would list the drink, men of shepherds. That was the thing. What is that? Men of shepherds is like a Jewish wine. I think it's it's not very good. It's very sweet. And how old were you? I don't know. Maybe 15, 16. But

having a little man of shepherds and listen in Millie Jackson or the point of sisters, my mother's music was very rooted in womanhood. My grandmother's music was very rooted in Jehovah God. And my music was rooted in like verses. Hip hop. Hip hop. Storytelling. Yes.

Our guest today is Grammy winning artist Jill Scott. We'll be right back after a short break.

I'm Tanya Mosley and this is fresh air. Support for fresh air comes from W.H. Why? Presenting the pulse. A weekly podcast about health and science. Each episode is full of great stories and big ideas fueled by curiosity and wonder. Can you learn to listen to your intuition? What should electric cars sound like? Why can it be so hard to get an accurate diagnosis? How do fungi communicate? Check out the pulse available where

“you get your podcasts. When did you realize you could sing? I think I always knew.”

There's this mine. This wonderful thing that will calm me down and give me peace and make me laugh and get the feelings out. How do you remember when other people, yes, yeah, I was a ninth grade. I did freshman day and the initial audition I had a drummer and it was me and a drummer. We were doing thing from a hygony and movie. Yes. And all the kids were like, because it felt like that, you know, Mr. Murphy who gave me so much did not like that

and played the piano. And I was so disappointed because I really liked the fact that, you know, the kids went to all-girls school. All the girls were like, yeah, that's cool. But he took it

“and played the piano. And I sang it from a different place. It was so sincere. I remember feeling”

so sincere about those words. And then the place erupted. It was quiet first. Yeah. And I finished

the line and then silent and then that was it. That was the moment. Like, oh, you like it, too. Because before then you had been singing but just singing to yourself, not in front of other people. That in front of other people. Where would you sing? Where my grandma sang in the tub. And when you clean it, you know, or, oh, my way to school or, you know, on the bus or every says while playing rope, like, you know, everywhere. There's this story that

Quest love from the roots discovered you as part of the spoken word scene in Philadelphia. How do you remember it? I was in a poetry reading. I had been doing it quite a bit. I had my feeling tired of my girlfriends were like, repo, Adrienne, I was like, okay. So I wrote, and my girlfriends were like, you are a poet. And I was like, I'm a poet, like, Nicky. I'm going to do it more. So I did it more. And I started to make a little bit of a name for myself. And then Quest

Love came to a poetry reading. I think he was DJing. You might have been. I don't know. But he was there. And he asked me if I ever wrote songs. And I was like, yeah, I do. But I did. What was it in you in that moment that made you say, yeah, I can. And how did that feel knowing that, oh, you, you might be able to enter this world? I didn't really think about the

“world. I just honestly enjoyed what I was doing. And you mean there could be more of that?”

Oh, I would like more of that. So yeah, I went, you know, when he invited me to this studio to write a hook for them, sure. I'll go. I had been listening to do you want more faithfully. It was one of my favorite albums. Still is to this day. So, you know, this is a big deal to be asked by Quest Love. You know, but it's also like Philly. Because this is the guy that played, you know, on the street corner. Right, you knew him at that time. I didn't know him. But you knew him too. I knew him. I knew of him. I knew

of them. Yeah, you know. But I don't necessarily assert myself in these places. It has to be organic for me. So that is real. So you entered that studio and then you started writing. Yeah.

And there's this song you got me was your first real song writing credit, a song that you sang

Did you record the track? Yes. It all happened in one day, like one afternoon. I went to the studio

“Sigma Sound and Scott Storage. And I were talking hanging out. He was that just for folks who don't”

know. Scott Storage is a big time producer now. Okay. Big time. And at the time he was playing keys for the roots. So we go into the studio and it was very simple. He started playing a melody. I sang the words. He said, can you record that? That's okay. Recorded it. And we went to lunch. We went to an Italian restaurant. I kind of forgot all about it. I don't know why, but I did. You know, either they liked it or they didn't. Yes. And they liked it. So I heard through the

great fine. I was told that they liked it that they were going to use it. Then I heard it was a single. I was like, it's a single. Oh my god. That's crazy. I can't believe it's happening me. And then I was on a 22nd street. I was looking for like beauty supplies or walking by the

“beauty supply places. And I heard the song and I was like, oh, this is how song. And it wasn't my voice.”

And I was like, what is cool? And then I knew who it was. You know, I listened to the little more. I was like, that's Eric, I do. That's Eric, I do. I made it. You weren't feeling like why isn't that my voice? You were feeling, oh my god, Eric, I do is singing my words. I got about 14 good seconds. Wait a minute. What happened? That's not me. And then I realized it was way bigger than that. Like way bigger. This is a door, a door has

opened. You know, and Eric, I'll tell you to herself. She doesn't sing anybody else's music. I didn't know that either. So that knowing that what does that mean to you knowing that she doesn't sing anyone else's music. But she was singing your words. I'm telling you it's just really ridiculous. Well, you eventually did up to the morning feeling fresh to death. I'm so blessed. Yes. Yes. Like, well, you eventually ended up touring with the roots. And yes, then you were singing

every night, every city that you went to, you got me. Got a chance to learn. And almost lost that job because I had a manager who wanted to make money. And it's not that I didn't want to make money. But I'm seeing one hook on one song. You know, I mean, how much can you really ask somebody to pay

you to sing one hook? And I'm getting an opportunity to see places I've never been. I haven't

traveled much. I've had a money. You know, but now I'm getting to go from city to city and see these venues. And I'm performing in front of people. And it's a lot more than poetry readings. You know, but luckily, we fixed that. We had to part ways she and I. You went on tour. Yeah, I went on tour. And did you write your first album while you were on tour? No. Because when you got me came out, that gave me the confidence to go ahead and do this. I had been calling

producers and musicians for six, seven months. I don't know how long. But a long time, I was waiting for somebody to call me back. So that maybe I could write some songs for them. And that was the goal. You know, to be a songwriter. Yeah, yeah, I liked it. It seemed it fit me. And I figured if I could talk to the person the artist and they could tell me some things about their life, I can paint, I can paint for them. And that was the goal. Let's take a short break. If you're

just joining us, my guest is singer and actress Jill Scott. We'll be right back after a break. This is fresh air. Support for fresh air comes from W. H. Why presenting the pulse a weekly podcast about health and science. Each episode is full of great stories and big ideas fueled by curiosity and wonder. Can you learn to listen to your intuition? What should electric cars sound like? Why can it be so hard to get an accurate diagnosis? How do fungi communicate? Check out the pulse

available where you get your podcasts. So once you start getting deep into your performing and

you understand yourself to be an artist, you wrote this really amazing remake of the star-spangled

banner and a video about performance that you did at the Essence Fest in 2023. It comes up

“every now and then on social media. A few months ago, it was back being viral again. I think that”

people come to it when we are at moments of unrest in the country and it kind of makes its way again.

By the blood of the street. That is place doesn't smile on you colored child.

“Whose blood built this land with sweat and the hills but you'll die in this place”

and your memories. Oh, say there's this truth. Oh, this is what the land of the street. But the home of the street.

That was my guest, Jill Scott, performing at Essence Fest in 2023. Tell me a bit about what

spurred you to sit down and write that it in 19 years old. I don't know. Exactly. I don't remember what it was. It made me write it. I'm mostly amazed at what made me sing it now.

“You know, made me sing it years and years later. I don't know. I think I just was so frustrated.”

To so frustrated and I knew I wasn't lying. I mean, it's a couple years later. I'll say,

can you see by the blood in the street that this place doesn't smile on you colored child? I could have said a lot of things. I said colored. Spectrum. Who's blood built this land? What is America without the Chinese on the railroad? What is America without, you know, they're all that free labor and then please include all the other people that have contributed to this country in so many ways who's who's blood built this land. People died here.

You know what I said with sweat and their bare hands, but you'll die in this place and your memory erased. Look at what's happening. Look at it. I know that people went immediately to African Americans being enslaved. I'm talking to all of us. Every single, every kind of person you are. There is an oppression and we're in a place that just needs us to purchase and purchase ourselves to death. You know, many people think it's sacrilegious to change even a word from the star-spangled

banner. The stuff has underbellies. When I interested in the underbelly and guess what else?

“I risked a lot to share that. That's what I meant when I said, why did I don't even know why?”

I don't know where I had to. When you say you risk a lot, just knowing that it's a success. I got it. Death threats. Whole hours of blogs with people being very, very ugly towards me. There was a lot of stuff about race. I was talking about us as an American society on a whole.

You know, we're not going to say, I'll always say the nice thing. You feel like that's your purpose.

I do. I do. I do. I'm a writer. It is what I do. If you're just joining us, my guest is singer and actress Jill Scott. More of our conversation after a short break.

“This is fresh air. Support for fresh air comes from W. H. Why?”

Presenting the pulse, a weekly podcast about health and science. Each episode is full of great stories and big ideas fueled by curiosity and wonder. Can you learn to listen to your intuition? What should electric cars sound like? Why can it be so hard to get an accurate diagnosis? How do fungi communicate? Check out the pulse available where you get your podcasts. Before I let you go, I got to talk to you a bit about your acting career.

Why did I get married again? It's coming to Netflix later this year. It's the third film in

the franchise. It's nearly two decades after the original. And you play Sheila again. The character who was married to this man who is just ridiculous. He openly ridiculed your weight and treated you like you were lucky to have him. You have said that the filming of that original was one of the hardest experiences of your career that Tyler Perry directed that set by having extras. Hurl insults at you night after night to provoke that raw emotion that we see

in your performance. And now you're back to playing her again. Tell me about why it was the hardest moment in one of the hardest moments in your career. It wasn't. It wasn't. No. No, people made it a lot more than what it was. I did not enjoy that. That was not a favorite for me to be verbally accosted by strangers at work. No, I did not enjoy that. But being in Botswana in a hundred nine degree temperature would affect suit on saying words like Helokulela. That was hard.

Let's talk about this. You played precious. You played precious in the HBO series. The number one

“ladies detective agency. That's what you're talking about. You traveled to Botswana to play that”

character. It was based on Alexander McCall Smith's novel, set in Botswana. And just to let the audience know, the story follows this woman who after her father dies gains an inheritance of his to open the first female run detective agency. And she is deeply intuitive. She knows, she knows this world. She's able to get into it and solve cases. I actually want to play a clip where your father has just died and you're talking with your friend about what you want to do

with your life. And you say you want to help people solve mysteries. Let's listen. Every man I am meeting wants me to change something. I could have had to fix things myself. And what brings you to Havodon? I've disolded my father's kettle. So I'm looking for a nice

“house in the city. And then I find it office and start my own business. And what business is that?”

I'm going to open a detective agency. Really? Anna. And then the bad man went a lot out. What? Those are the videos same once my father said to me when I told him. That was my guest Jill Scott in the HBO's number one ladies detective agency playing precious who owns a detective agency. And here little baby Jill's voice you can hear how light it was. It is so young. Oh my gosh. But the accent, how did you? How did you

perfect that accent? Oh, they worked on me. Yeah. Well, when I got there I realized I was I was being tutored by a coach of a dialect coach. Gat there and realized my accent was actually Zim. It wasn't even the right one. It wasn't the right dialect at all. So I had to unlearn and relearn. And I had a group of women. I would just call him a tribe of elder women. And if I got something wrong, you'd hear. And I was like, oh no. You know,

went through every line, wrote it in phonetics so that I could understand and say it properly,

practice so much. It was an incredible experience. I just took my son for his 13th birthday,

two Botswana, because he had to be there. I was pregnant with him. Well, you were there.

That was that was tough. What a shame that it was only a season. It was a crying shame.

“I loved it because people had an opportunity to see that Africa isn't just war and famine,”

and it was only one season because Anthony Mingle passed. He passed away. Sydney Pollock passed. And I was pregnant. I shot up until seven months pregnancy. And then after that I was like, okay, guys. So in some of those episodes, you're seven months pregnant. Wow. Yeah. Which is why for his 13th birthday, my son, I had to take him to Botswana because we don't have a right of passage as African Americans. We called it a bromance for. That's pretty good. Yes. So he had an opportunity

to sleep and hang out under the Kalahadi night. The stars and delicious foods and meet people

from all over the world and particularly from Botswana. They just welcome to beautifully. It was great.

“You know, Jill, your first album came out in 2000 when I was coming into myself as a woman. And”

I just want to thank you for for all of what you have put out in the world. You've allowed me to see myself and it's a beautiful thing. And I can't even, I don't even have the words to tell you. I'm telling you, I really love this Auntie life. Yeah. I really, wherever I can help, I am into it. Wherever I can help, especially when it comes to, I've learned this. When somebody wants something

from you, you're giving them a task. If they handle the task and do it well, then you can proceed.

But other than that, you know, people talk a lot. Oh, I want to do this. I want to be this. I want to go here. Let me see what you do. Do you do that? Because I'm sure you have a lot of young artists and singers who come to you because they want to, they want advice from you.

“Is that what you do? Yeah. That's what I do. Yeah. Yeah. Let me see what you do. This is how I've learned”

to navigate. What do you have them do? Um, whatever I need them to do. Yes. Whether it is to learn an album or listen to an album, whether it is, or read the Franklin sent me to get her two hot dogs with cooked onions and mustard. You met her. You told her you loved her. Yes. And then she said, what, go to the corner and get me two hot dogs with cooked onions and mustard. And I went. Yes. Okay. I think I had the number one album in the country at the time. Yes. And I went to the corner.

And I got those hot dogs and I brought them back. And I, you know, just wait. I don't think she ate them. What did that teach you? Um, well, I would once they'd be nicer to people. But um, you gotta earn your stripes. Then I was like, oh, you know, I wanted her to be nicer to me, they were impressed me to tell me that, you know, give me some advice and hold my hand a little bit. But that's not what happened. Okay. Um, now I'm in a, now I am that woman to a certain degree.

And now I just have a task for you. I'm going to say what you're going to do. Don't waste it. Don't waste my time. Don't waste your time. Uh, it's too valuable. And I like this. This is, this is the Auntie portion. She's a little tougher. And I like that part. This is good for me. It's good for you, too. If you want it, absolutely. If you want it, I'm very grateful to be a part of so many people's maturation. There's nothing wrong with being mature. There's nothing wrong with growing up.

Jill Scott, this has been such a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you so much for your time and for your music and your art. Thank you. You're welcome. Jill Scott's new album is called to whom this may concern. Freshers executive producer is Sam Brigher. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Philis Meyers, Roberta Shorock, Ann Marie Baldonato, Lauren Crinsol, O'Nick Nazareth,

They a Challenger, Susan Nakondi, Annabellman, and Nico Gonzalez-Wisler, our digital media producer is Molly Seedman Esper, Teresa Madden, directed today's show. With Cherry Gross, I'm Tanya Mosley. From WQXR and Carnegie Old comes classical music

listen to musical gems, play music inspired games, and answer questions from our listeners. The first episode drops March 4th. Listen on the NPR app.