Neo-soul singer Jill Scott has spoken about how her mother’s intervention after being taken to a go-go bar as a child shaped her artistic outlook. In a Q&A with readers, the 51-year-old recalled being picked up from elementary school by her mother’s ex-husband and taken to a club where women danced in their underwear. She said she thought it was harmless and even wanted to become a go-go dancer herself. When her mother found out, she forbade her from going and instead introduced her to art, opera and ballet – experiences that Scott credits with changing her perspective and leading her to music.
Scott also addressed the importance of intimacy and honest portrayals of sex in her work. She said her song 'Don’t Play' from her latest album is a 'tutorial' on quality connection, contrasting it with what she sees as performative relationships on social media. 'True love gives us the ability to speak up, sleep, maybe even fight off societal ills,' she said, adding that her mother was always open about sex and that she cannot imagine stopping singing about it because 'I sing about the things living people do.'
When asked about being a soundtrack for Black women’s lives, Scott resisted being boxed in, describing herself as an artist telling stories about the human condition for all people. She emphasised the value of mystery, saying: 'I love Sade, but I don’t know what she had for breakfast… I just love her music.' She also revealed the inspiration behind her song 'Exclusively', explaining that the character Raheem was based on a real incident where she discovered her boyfriend was cheating after smelling his scent on another woman in a store.
