USA: Soul and R&B singer, Jill Scott, opens up about her new album, love, and working in Africa

Record ID: 862558

  • Title: USA: Soul and R&B singer, Jill Scott, opens up about her new album, love, and working in Africa
  • Date: 20th May 2011
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) JILL SCOTT, SAYING: "Anthony Minghella, a beautiful Italian man, gave me Africa on a silver platter. During my time there, in Botswana, I met beautiful people who appreciate life, who are polite, with the best manners I've ever seen, with the most respect for life that I've ever seen and I had an opportunity to work harder than I ever have."
  • Embargoed: 4th June 2011 13:00
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  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • City:
  • Country: USA
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  • Reuters ID: LVAABFIA241J4DSHUZ7NKLTUAPXZ
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  • Story Text: Jill Scott is making a big return to the music industry after a four year break. The award-winning songstress says her new album, "The Light of the Sun," is the most intimate record she has released in the span of her eleven year career.
    Scott says the name of her new album allowed her to reveal some things about herself through her music. She says she does not spend too much time thinking about what she will write but, instead, lets her emotions take over. And the most important part of the musical process is enjoying herself.
    "I had a lot of fun on this record, I loved working with the musicians that I worked with, they were in my mouth, in my head, under my skin, in my spine. They listened so very well. We had fun. I had fun," said Scott. "This has been a great, great project and now I know the template. I have to have fun."
    Scott also opened up about her acting experience with Academy Award winning director Anthony Minghella back in 2008. Scott starred in the HBO television series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," an adaptation of a book series of the same name which tells a story of a single woman in Botswana who starts her own detective business. Minghella died shortly after completing work with Scott in March 2008.
    "Anthony Minghella, a beautiful Italian man, gave me Africa on a silver platter. During my time there, in Botswana, I met beautiful people who appreciate life, who are polite, with the best manners I've ever seen, with the most respect for life that I've ever seen and I had an opportunity to work harder than I ever have," said Scott.
    Scott also talked about the importance of giving back to the community. Scott and her foundation "Blues Babe Foundation" donated the funds to repair a recreational center in Philadelphia where the singer spent time as a child.
    The first music video released from Scott's new album is the song "Shame." She returned to the newly renovated center to shoot the music video and included childhood friends and neighborhood kids in the video.
    The album's lead single "So in Love," which features Grammy nominated singer Anthony Hamilton, was released in early April and Scott was in Los Angeles to shoot the video.
    "The Light of the Sun" is set to hit stores on June 28.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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