Jill Scott is back!

The Grammy-winning singer released her first full-length album in more than a decade, “To Whom This May Concern,” and in an exclusive interview with People, she explained why she stepped away — and why now felt right to return. “I feel relieved,” Scott, 53, told the outlet. “My baby’s outside, and people are responding to it in beautiful ways and actually listening, which gives me the greatest joy.” 

Scott said that motherhood and family were central to her hiatus. “I needed time to be with my family, raise my kid to the best of my ability,” she said, framing the break not as a creative failure but a conscious choice to prioritize life offstage. The singer also said she is “in the middle of menopause right now,” and acknowledged how those changes shaped both her perspective and her music. 

The album digs into heartbreak, growth, and the lessons of hard choices. Reflecting on past relationships and public splits — including her divorce from Mike Dobson — Scott was candid, “I definitely made some bad decisions based on the fact that I liked someone, a couple of times, I think. But trust me, even in that, I don’t regret it at all. It got me here in this place and time in my life.” She told People that those experiences, combined with time on camera and stage, informed the record’s emotional honesty. 

Scott also explained how acting filled part of the last decade, describing the break as restorative. “I love the possibility of becoming someone outside myself for a time,” she said, referencing roles from Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married?” to BET+’s “First Wives Club.” But she made it clear that music remained central to her identity, and that returning felt inevitable once the songs arrived. 

On a personal note, Scott called the last ten years preparation for this moment. “These past 10 years, I was really focused on making sure he [her son] was great so that I could get to this portion of my existence,” she said. “I’ve been waiting to be this age and in this place my whole life.” For fans hungry for new Jill Scott music, “To Whom This May Concern” is a patient, personal comeback that emphasizes craft, family, and clarity.