Throughout the 2020s, Jill Scott made appearances on various artists' tracks, notably Alicia Keys, Camper, Kehlani, Sir, Teyana Taylor, Ty Dolla Sign and Tyla. She also embarked on multiple tours throughout the early 2020s to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her debut studio album Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 (2000). On June 1, 2024, Scott headlined the Roots Picnic music festival and performed an unreleased song with rapper Tierra Whack, which she also previewed prior to announcing her album in 2025.[3]
On December 22, 2025, Jill Scott posted a promotional video on her Instagram account hinting at new music for the following year. In the video, she explained her process and her hiatus from music since her last studio album Woman (2015). "My process kind of works like this: I wait to be inspired," Scott said in the video. "And that takes time and patience [un]til the words are dripping out of my mouth." Along with the video, Scott previewed the first single for the project, "Beautiful People."[4]
Release and promotion
On January 2, 2026, Jill Scott announced the album's title and artwork on social media and released the first single "Beautiful People" on all streaming services. The album was made available for pre-order the same day, featuring vinyl, CDs and exclusive bundles with merchandise. The album's second single "Pressha" was released the following week on January 9, 2026.[5]
On January 15, Scott debuted one of the album's tracks, "Don't Play" for the YouTube channel for Colors, and received viral attention on TikTok for Scott's return to music and the song's lyrical content and production.
On February 9th, the recording of Jill Scott's Noochie's Live from the porch performance with her band was released on YouTube, which featured a live performance of another album track, "Liftin Me Up".
To Whom This May Concern was met with critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 13 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[6]
Andy Kellman of AllMusic praised the album's musical variety and Scott's lyrical themes, writing, "She's full of fire, uncommonly dexterous both vocally and in emotion -- scathing, instructing, loving, and funny as all get out. All 360 degrees of the Jill Scott experience are presented here."[7]The Arts Desk journalist Guy Oddy described the album's sound as "brimming with improvisational spirit", writing, "[To Whom This May Concern] is an absolute gem that is equal parts magic, joyfulness and a reflection of the times in which we find ourselves."[8] Mary Chiney of Beats Per Minute wrote, "To Whom This May Concern does not attempt to redefine Jill Scott's artistic identity. It deepens it. The record listens more than it announces, observes more than it persuades. In a musical theme that rewards velocity, Scott offers duration, attention sustained long enough for meaning to settle."[9] Joshua Khan of Clash wrote, "The oscillation between moods is deafening, but effortless as Scott's come-ons and teardowns are a poetic masterclass."[10] In the opinion of Pitchfork's Marcus J. Moore, the album "might feel scattered to those wanting her more characteristic, sensuous R&B," while it simultaneously "does a good job of flaring in different directions while keeping close to Scott's artistic core."[12] Jeremy McDonagh of PopMatters regarded To Whom This May Concern as "an album for connoisseurs of strong, impactful vocals."[13] Arusa Qureshi of The Quietus wrote, "She may be six albums in, but having taken the time to pause and recalibrate, Scott is proving that she still has much to say and a voice that is worth listening to."[14] Mosi Reeves of Rolling Stone described the album as a "freshly made portrait of a warmly familiar, complex, all-too-human artist".[15] Steven J. Horowitz of Variety noted that the album was Scott's most experimental album to date, describing it as "a project that paints with wildly broad strokes and continuously returns on its investment."[16]
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