In a recent interview you gave an invaluable life lesson which involved a go-go bar and your mother’s love. What are your tips for living life between adversities? Integrity411
My mother’s ex-husband was a questionable man and after he picked me up from elementary school he used to take me to a go-go bar where ladies were dancing in their panties. I was a child, so I thought: how nice for them, I hate getting dressed too! They dance all day and then some nice people put money in their panties. The ladies would give me milk or Coca-Cola and give me a dollar, so I wanted to be a go-go dancer when I grew up. At that age I didn’t know there was anything wrong with me going there and I learned not to judge people so quickly. However, when my mother discovered why I was coming home late she kicked into fifth gear. She told the bar not to let me in and instead showed me art, opera, ballet – anything that was free – and changed my palate and perspective. In a way, all that brought me here. Art can get you through things. Cry as hard as you can or even laugh as hard as you can, and hold on to the joy.
A Long Walk is my favourite song of yours, not least because I was blessed to have that same experience. Is it something you shared with a special someone or something you yearned for which has not yet come to pass? Soulisasolis33
Oh my goodness. I’ve had many long walks with dogs, my mother, my mate, my friends, my child. To just take a walk and talk is one of my favourite things to do, or just to take a walk in silence. I’d recommend it to anybody.
Your willingness to write and sing about a woman’s deep need for good sex of all flavours – emotional, playful, animal – has made me respect my own desires. Will you be as honest about sex as you age? Ptaybovi
Don’t Play on the new album is akin to A Long Walk: have a good date, followed by a long walk, spark conversation; get to know somebody deeply. It’s a tutorial because it seems to me, via social media, that people are not having quality intimacy. So much of it is performative, so people are missing out on something truly enriching, when you connect with someone you care for. True love gives us the ability to speak up, sleep, maybe even fight off societal ills. I wouldn’t have known that at 18, but my mother has always been very open about sex. Making love and screwing are different things, and I’d like people to know the difference. I can’t imagine not singing about this, because I sing about the things living people do.
Your music has been the soundtrack for Black women’s lives since the early 2000s. How does that make you feel and what is the main message you hope to leave for future generations? brownpotatoes
I don’t really like boxes. I’m a Black woman, and both portions are as powerful, rooted and exciting, but I’m an artist and believe in telling stories about the human condition for all people. I’m not Nina Simone, though I respect that kind of work. I’d love people to read my lyrics and listen to the body of work from beginning to end. I’m still discovering who Jill Scott is, but like a good meal, it takes time. I also like some mystery. I love Sade, but I don’t know what she had for breakfast, what she wore last night or any of her business. I just love her music. As an artist, you have to have some kind of balance.
I loved [Scott’s 2000 debut] Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol 1. Who is Raheem [in the song Exclusively]? hutchmeup
Raheem is an amalgamation of someone cheating, but the incident in the store happened to me. In real life I wasn’t the woman telling the story, I was the woman behind the counter. A woman came in and I smelled my boyfriend on her: that’s how I discovered he was cheating. So in the song she smells him, looks up and goes: “Raheem, right?” You learn what to look out for and who to stay away from.
What were the cultural and musical influences that inspired To Whom This May Concern? SlowlySurelyC11
It was necessary to take a long break. I don’t think you can create art without having some living in between and there were reasons to make some major changes. I cut some people out of my life, some ideas … I was paying attention to social media and people have got angrier. There are a lot of reasons for that and a lot of what’s happening is unsettling, but I wanted to present a private or personal revolution. The song Pressha is about the pressure to look, sing or act a certain way. It’s partly from my own life experience, but also from noticing that people are choosing an aesthetic over character or consistency. That’s dooming our relationships because you’ve married a shell or you’ve had a child with a shell, when the things that really matter are underneath the skin.
Why do we not have any more The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency TV programmes? You were great in the series. consumersrrippedoff
Thank you. I loved playing Mma Ramotswe and had a beautiful time with Anika Noni Rose [Grace Makutsi] and Lucian Msamati [JLB Matekoni]. Then our producer Sydney Pollack passed away, followed by our beloved director Anthony Minghella, so everything shifted. We lost our fearless leaders. Anthony auditioned me six times, then when he finally gave me the role he said he knew it was mine before he met me. I said: “You put me through hell!” But he grew me. I thought they were auditions but really they were classes. He’d say: “OK, now say that line but like you’ve got a cracked rib”, or like “you have an eyelash in your eye”. I was so annoyed! But he was schooling me all the time. I’d love to do more acting but it has to be something I really want to do and I like a director who will guide me, trust me and test me.
What made you agree to appearing with [viral street performer] DJ AG in Camden and when did you first hear about what he’s been doing? DCasher
There’s a [Washington DC rapper] called Noochie who has people come to his house and perform on his front porch. It’s enjoyed by millions of people. So when I saw DJ AG on social media, I thought it would be fun to do something like that and be with people on the street, for free. It was even more exciting that I’d expected. People surrounded the car and were hitting the windows. I’d forgotten about things like that so it kinda took me off balance, but they were so happy to see me, I was happy to see them and we had a good time.
Before you became a star you took a teacher training course. What kind of teacher do you think you would have become and how strict, or not?! TopCat89
I trained as an English teacher and would adapt music into my lessons. There’s music in words, like onomatopoeia. So I’d read to them and try to inspire them. I would have been strict but for their benefit: that tough teacher that jumps on your back but you wanna impress so badly. My favourite teacher was Miss Fran Danish, who introduced me to the poet Nikki Giovanni, who wrote about people like me and the people in my neighbourhood. It opened my mind to the fact that I could write about myself and my community, and paint with words.
Has anyone ever confused you with Jill Scott, the English footballer? TopTramp
Once or twice a month someone will go: “Great game!” I think: “What game?” It happened more a couple of years ago. I’ve never met her, but maybe we should do lunch. That would be amusing. Hey Jill Scott, come hang with Jill Scott.
• Scott’s new album To Whom This May Concern is released via Blues Babe/Human Re Sources/The Orchard on 13 February
