Jill Scott Celebrates Being 'Sistah Strong' With 20th Anniversary Tour: Exclusive

Three-time Grammy Award winner Jill Scott will commemorate her seminal debut album, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, with a 20th anniversary tour.

Kicking off in Kansas City, Missouri on Feb. 7, 2020, the first leg of the national tour encompasses stops in both smaller and major markets including Northfield, Ohio, Huntsville, Alabama and Indianapolis as well as New York, Chicago and Dallas. A second leg commencing in summer 2020 will be announced at a later date.

Released on July 18, 2000 by Hidden Beach Recordings, Who Is Jill Scott? peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Embodying themes such as love and self-empowerment, the RIAA-certified double-platinum project also yielded three R&B hits -- “Gettin’ in the Way,” “A Long Walk” and “The Way” -- plus the Scott concert staple "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)." The album also garnered subsequent Grammy nominations for the singer-songwriter, including best new artist, best R&B album and best female R&B vocal performance.     

Asked why her debut album still resonates 20 years later, Scott tells Billboard, “It’s the honest stories and the timing. The album is sistah strong yet vulnerable and filled with love.”   

As for what fans can expect to hear and see on her 20th anniversary tour, Scott adds, “I’m going to be true to the album set list. I’ll do every song in the order of the album. My audience should bring their CD covers; some may know the list by heart. I will create musical arrangements for the songs purposed with new energy, but keep the integrity of the original songs they love. Expect theater. Expect incredible musicianship. Expect love.”  

Since her 2000 studio album bow, Scott has released four more albums including 2011’s The Light of the Sun and 2015’s Woman. Both projects, released through the artist’s Blues Babe Records imprint through Warner Bros. and Atlantic, respectively, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Both sets also ruled the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally. In addition to founding Blues Babe, the entrepreneurial Scott penned the 2005 collection The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours: The Poetry of Jill Scott, created an intimates line for Ashley Stewart and partnered with Hallmark Mahogany for a greeting card line. Scott also established the Blues Babe foundation, which raises funds to support minority students pursuing college degrees.

Concurrently, Scott has accumulated critical acclaim and an expanding list of credits as an actor. Those credits include the films Why Did I Get Married? (Part 1 and 2) and the James Brown biopic Get on Up as well television’s Law & Order: SVU, the Peabody Award-winning HBO/BBC miniseries The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency and the Lifetime channel’s Sins of the Mother and Flint. Scott presently portrays the character Hazel in the BET Plus revamp of the 1996 comedy film First Wives Club.

Tickets for the first leg of the Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 tour go on sale Dec. 6. For additional tour information, visit http://www.missjillscott.com/.

Jill Scott 2020 U.S. Tour Dates:

Feb. 7 -- Kansas City, MO / Arvest Bank Theatre at Midland Theatre

Feb. 9 -- St. Louis, MO / Fox Theatre

Feb. 12 -- Chicago, IL / The Chicago Theatre

Feb. 14 -- Hanover, MD / Live! Casino & Hotel

Feb. 15 -- Atlantic City, NJ / Borgata Hotel

Feb. 20 -- New York, NY / Radio City Music Hall

Feb. 21 -- Northfield, OH / MGM Northfield Park

Feb. 23 -- Indianapolis, IN / Murat Theatre

Feb. 25 -- Minneapolis, MN / The Fillmore Minneapolis

Feb. 28 -- Elizabeth, IN / Caesars Event Center at Caesars Southern Indiana

Feb. 29 --  Wetumpka, AL / Wind Creek Hotel & Casino

March 3 -- Memphis, TN / Cannon Center For The Performing Arts

March 5 -- Dallas, TX / The Music Hall at Fair Park

March 7 -- Austin, TX / ACL Live at The Moody Theater

March 8 -- Houston, TX / Revention Music Center

March 11 -- Huntsville, AL / Von Braun Center

March 13 --  Augusta, GA / William B. Bell Memorial Auditorium

March 17 -- Clearwater, FL / Ruth Eckerd Hall

March 18 -- Orlando, FL / Hard Rock Live

March 20 -- Macon, GA / City Auditorium at Macon Centreplex

March 21 -- Columbia, SC / Township Auditorium

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