My Name Is

Who is Jill Scott? Why is anyone still asking that?

Comments (0) By Funmi Okunbolade Thursday, Aug 2 2001

The inspiration for the music, Scott says, comes from any and everything--babies and flowers, her fiance and her audiences. The inspiration also comes from other forms of music, including jazz, hip-hop, blues, classical, folk, even country. Growing up, she says, she was exposed to a variety of music, and as such, she now counts among her favorite artists Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand and Chaka Khan.

And much like her idol Streisand, Scott knows how to put on a show. As a former theater apprentice, Scott is no stranger to the stage. Before her career took off, she worked six days a week, 14 hours a day as a stagehand, before landing a part in the Canadian production of the Broadway hit Rent.

Jill Scott: poster child, singer-songwriter homegirl and artist. You can add your own definition if you like.

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August 2

Bronco Bowl Theatre

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It's the theatrical skills that Scott calls upon for her soul-stirring performances that have even neo-soul sister Badu gushing, "She makes me cry. She makes me feel me." On tour since June of last year, Scott opened a couple of shows for Sting in May during the American leg of his current tour and shared the stage with Garth Brooks during a Fourth of July concert in Philadelphia. And now, she's headlining her own tour.

For those who have never seen her perform live, the concert will be "an experience," Scott says. "It's fun, and it sounds incredible. It's touching and serious. There's a wide range of emotions that happen during the course of the show, and people can definitely expect to put their hands in the air and sing along." The show features a live, 10-piece band and is a departure from the artifice that surrounds many contemporary performances. It's all about real music--the sound, the emotion and the talent.

And that's who Jill Scott is--the emotion, the talent, the music. She's all that and then some.