Jill Scott makes her Tiny Desk Concert debut
The North Philly singer, actress, poet, and podcast host has just released her first album in over a decade ‘To Whom This May Concern.’
Jilly from Philly is on the Tiny Desk.
On Friday, Jill Scott released To Whom This May Concern, the North Philly singer and songwriter’s first album in 11 years.
The 19-track stylistically wide-ranging project touches on jazz, hip-hop, R&B, spoken word, and blues. It features guests including Trombone Shorty, Ab-Soul, JID and Tierra Whack, and is produced by DJ Premier, Adam Blackstone, Andre Harris.
On Monday, the actress and podcast host celebrated her return to music-making with her first-ever performance on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series.
The episode was hyped over the weekend, calling Scott “one of the most requested artists on the Tiny Desk.” And Scott seemed thrilled to finally be at the makeshift performance space in the NPR newsroom in Washington, D.C. The series has had over 1,200 episodes since launching in 2008 and is a key promotional vehicle for artists that attracts over 15 million viewers a month.
Leading a nine-member ensemble that included three backup singers, a flautist and a trumpet player, Scott said, “I gotta knock the nerves off. I‘m so excited to be here. I thought about you so much. I was like, ‘One day I’m going to be on the Tiny Desk!’”
Scott led off with her signature song, “A Long Walk,” from her 2004 debut Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Music Vol. 1 before moving soulfully and effortlessly into the new album’s “Beautiful People.”
The five-song, 28-minute, set also includes a sensuous sing- and clap-along version of Who Is Jill Scott’s “The Way” and “Cross My Mind” from 2004’s Beautifully Human: Words & Sounds Vol. 2.
Before To Whom This May Concern’s “Don’t Play,” Scott said she got the idea for the song after going down a TikTok rabbit hole watching videos of women complaining about their male partners’ lovemaking skills and thinking" “Let me be of service.”
The song then addressed insensitive partners with words of admonition and advice — which she repeated a cappella after the song was finished — such as “Baby, don’t close your eyes, you can see and feel at the same time” and “You ain’t no jackhammer, and I ain’t no city street!”