R&B singer Jill Scott [ tickets ], who recently picked up three Grammy nominations for her 2000 debut “Who is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds, Vol. 1” (Hidden Beach), will open a four-week tour in late January that will touch both U.S. coasts.

Scott, who was raised and lives in Philadelphia, is nominated for Grammys in the Best New Artist, Best R&B Female Vocal Performance, and Best R&B Album categories.

“Who is Jill Scott?” was the first release for the Hidden Beach label, which was founded by former Motown executive Steve McKeever. The album was certified for sales of more than 500,000 by the Recording Industry Association of America last October, three months after its release.

Critics also lauded “Who Is Jill Scott?” in 2000: it was named the No. 1 R&B album by USA Today, was on Rolling Stone’s Top 50 Albums of the Year list, and ranked in the Top 10 for the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer, according to her label. Scott herself was also named as an “Artist to Watch for in 2001” by Vibe magazine.

Scott was reading poetry at a Philadelphia art house called October Gallery when she caught the ear of drummer Amir (Brother Questlove) of the Roots. The band and producer Scott Storch invited her into the studio, and she wrote the lyrics to “You Got Me.” Erykah Badu sang the song on the Roots’ album, and it earned the group a 1999 Grammy award for Best Rap Performance (Duo or Group).

Later, she toured with the Canadian cast of "Rent" and collaborated with Eric Benet (on a remix of his track "When You Think of Me"), Will Smith (on "The Rain" from “Willennium”) and Common (on his album “Like Water for Chocolate” and the single "8 Minutes to Sunrise" from the "Wild Wild West" soundtrack).