Jill Scott, born on April 4, 1972, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American singer, songwriter, model, poet, and actress. Raised by her mother, Joyce Scott, and her grandmother, Jill grew up in a loving environment as an only child.

Her maternal ancestry traces back to the Jola people of Guinea-Bissau, and she was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and later pursued higher education at Temple University, where she studied secondary education with the goal of becoming a high school English teacher.

However, after working as a teacher's aide, she decided to leave college and pursue a career in the arts.

Jill Scott began her performing career as a spoken word artist, performing at live poetry readings. She was discovered by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots, which led to a collaboration on the song "You Got Me," earning her a co-writing credit.

This exposure helped her sign with Hidden Beach Recordings, and in 2000, she released her debut album, "Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1," which went platinum and established her as a leading figure in the neo-soul movement. Her follow-up albums, "Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2" (2004) and "The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3" (2007), both achieved gold status.

Jill Scott has also ventured into acting, making her film debut in 2007 with "Hounddog" and "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?". She starred in the BBC/HBO series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" in 2008 and appeared in the film "Get on Up" in 2014. Her versatility as an actress was further showcased in the CW DC Comics superhero series "Black Lightning" as Lady Eve.

Jill Scott has been married twice, first to DJ and music engineer Lyzel Williams, and later to businessman Mike Dobson. She has one son, Jett Hamilton Roberts, born in 2009.