Fans are still talking about the epic pre-Mother’s Day “Verzuz” lovefest between Erykah Badu and Jill Scott.
The two neosoul queens were the first women to go head-to-head in the live streaming battle, and they bested Teddy Riley “verzuz” Babyface with about 700,000 views compared to the producer’s 500,000 views, and a surprise request from the competition’s co-founder Swizz Beatz.
Every artist has a strategy for how they’ll approach the friendly competition and Jilly from Philly wasn’t about to follow some cookie-cutter formula, she revealed recently. During an interview with Scott, Big Tigger from Atlanta’s V-103 complimented the R&B singer on her “out-of-the-box” song selections.
Scott dropped melodic yet lesser-known gems such as “Whenever You’re Around” and “Jahraymecofasola” from The Real Thing: Words & Sounds Vol 3. and Woman, respectively.
“I did not want to do anything that was expected, like here’s a hit, here’s a hit. I heard about what happens in these things, but I wanted to share some music. I wanted to share some stuff that would maybe expand my audience,” she told Tigger, smiling.
The Grammy-winning artist hoped her approach would inspire old and new fans “to do more research about my catalog.”
Apparently, her strategy worked because that’s what they’re doing as Scott and Badu’s streams tripled after the battle, according to Billboard.
During the “Love Rain” singer’s convo with Tigger, a fan asked Scott, “What have you learned, new or different, about your craft and/or talent since quarantine?”
“There is a certain part of quiet that is mandatory for art, in order to hear it all, going in the backyard and listening to nature. I’ve learned that that is crucial…quieting oneself to hear everything. My pen has really enjoyed that,” Scott shared. “I can write my heart out and take a nap. I’ve never had this amount of time in my life—ever.”
Sounds like the soul singer could be crafting Who is Jill Scott in the Quarantine? Words & Sounds Vol. 1. We could only hope!