A storyteller at heart

Jill Scott appears in Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married?” and just completed filming in Botswana for Anthony Minghella’s “The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.” She’ll be at the House of Blues Sunset Strip from Oct. 16 to 18; her new album, “The Real Thing,” was just released.

From Atlanta to Chicago for “Oprah,” to L.A. for the Tyler Perry premiere -- how different is this from your regular life as a touring music person?

I normally don’t sing and fly on the same day. Luther Vandross gave me that little bit of information. He said that’s a very poor choice. But everything is so good and abundant I feel like I have to take a bite.

You do make a lot of art.

I try my best to work really hard when I work. When I take off, I take off really hard. That’s how I do my year: Two months of relaxing and then just family and friends and simple things. Then into the studio and being really excited about being there. And I tour, I audition, I keep it moving.

There’s auditions?

Mmm-hmm! Yeah, I have to audition just like everyone else.

There seems to be a resurgence of people making personal, nonpop, nonhip-hop music.

They’re making soul music. It’s using your life to create art. Pop music you can talk about anything -- your purse, your lip gloss, your boyfriend if you want to because he’s so fine. With soul music, it’s deeper than that. You look inside the situation. You look inside each moment. You relive it again and again for an audience. Some things hurt, some things are just real. And soul music is exceptionally real. And it doesn’t have a genre. Because you can’t tell me Bonnie Raitt isn’t soul music.

Melissa Etheridge -- that’s what art is all about. You’re supposed to share your existence while you’re here. Life is so fleeting, you don’t know when it’s over, but you leave your mark -- that people eat to, make love to, sit under a tree to. That’s the hope. That you touch people, get their juices going, in a physical, spiritual emotional way.

The written poets -- is that a different planet from the spoken-word poets?

When someone is reading for you, you hear their own voice, you see them. It’s more about the performance of it than the words. It’s difficult for me to perform a poem that I think should be read -- it doesn’t have the same impact for me.

Well, you are an expert in the field.

Well, I’m on my way. I’ve got my master teachers that always give me a tap on the hand when I need it, and advice, and structure and ideas. Prince is one of my master teachers. I know I can call him and he will sort me out musically and with this business. Sonia Sanchez is another of my master teachers. I know I can reach her and work through some things. [Joan] California Cooper -- though we’ve never seen each other in person, we’ve only spoken once. I’m so floored by her that I don’t know what I’d do if I actually met her. I don’t know! She’s one of the greatest writers of all time. She’s one of the few women I would kiss on the mouth! So serious. I’d like to be her when I grow up.

What made you go there with your new album -- talking about women’s sensuality and sexuality?

Celibacy did it for me. You have a chance to think about what you want or what you like and how you feel about all that stuff. Like if I could have some right now how I would like it. But that changes every day or every three days. One day was very raw, and aggressive, and maybe even a little dirty. And the next day it was, this is empty, that’s empty affection, that’s empty romance. I don’t think that’s just for women, but I think that’s for people.

I don’t fit in boxes well. My elbows gonna pop out or my knee or my boobs, out of that box! I don’t fit. I’d say to people, “Please don’t have an idea or draw a conclusion about what kind of artist I am.” If life lasts, that means change is inevitable. But what’s solid is I’ll always be a storyteller. I’ll always tell you from start to finish.