Mary J. Blige
Host
Iconic Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated artist, actress, producer and entrepreneur Mary J. Blige is a figure of inspiration, transformation and empowerment making her one of the defining voices of the contemporary music era. With a track record of eight multiplatinum albums, nine Grammy Awards (plus a staggering 37 nominations), an Emmy award, two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and a SAG nomination, among many other accolades, Blige has cemented herself as a global superstar. And in the ensuing years, the singer-songwriter has attracted an intensely loyal fan base -- responsible for propelling worldwide sales of more than 50 million albums.
Influenced at an early age by the music of Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight, Blige brought her own gritty, urban-rooted style -- fusing hip hop, soul and honest, frank lyrics—to the forefront on her 1992 debut album "What's the 411?" The multiplatinum set, executive produced by Sean "Diddy" Combs, quickly spun off several hits, including two No. 1 R&B songs: "You Remind Me" and "Real Love." Blige helped redefine R&B and began forging a unique niche for herself on the more personal second album, 1994's "My Life." She is loved for her passionate, chart-topping hits like "Be Without You," "No More Drama" and "Family Affair" all of which have made her a force in music.
Each subsequent album reads like a chapter from an autobiography: "Share My World" (1997), "Mary" (1999), "No More Drama" (2001), "Love & Life" (2003), the multiple Grammy-winning and hit-spewing "The Breakthrough" (2005), "Growing Pains" (2007), "Stronger with Each Tear" (2009), "My Life II... The Journey Continues" (2011), "A Mary Christmas" (2013), "The London Sessions" (2014), "Strength of a Woman" (2017) and "Good Morning Gorgeous" (2022). Along the way, she's lined up a string of hit singles, including "Not Gon' Cry," "Love Is All We Need," "Seven Days," "All That I Can Say," "Family Affair," "Just Fine" and "U + Me (Love Lesson)."
In the summer of 2019, Blige was honored with the BET Lifetime Achievement Award and completed a U.S. summer tour with New York rapper Nas.
In 2020, Blige wrote and performed a new song for the celebrated documentary "Belly of the Beast" entitled "See What You've Done." Filmed over seven years, the documentary uncovers illegal sterilizations in women's prisons in the Department of Corrections in California. Blige also starred as Dinah Washington in the Aretha Franklin biopic, "Respect," alongside Jennifer Hudson, which was released in August 2021.
In February 2022, Blige released her 15th studio album, "Good Morning Gorgeous," which earned her six Grammy nominations in 2023, including album and record of the year. The album release led to a historic performance at the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. Her performance earned her a 2022 Emmy Award for outstanding variety special live).
Following the success of this performance, Blige and Pepsi announced the inaugural "Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit" in partnership with Live Nation Urban. The festival quickly sold out and took place in Atlanta over Mother's Day weekend in May 2022 and featured three days devoted to music, comedy and community building. In addition to Blige, performers included Chaka Khan, Xscape, Ella Mai, City Girls, Kiana Ledé and more.
Blige wrapped up her "Good Morning Gorgeous" U.S. tour with special guests Ella Mai and Queen Naija in October 2022.
On the acting side, Blige starred as Florence Jackson in the 2017 Netflix breakout film "Mudbound," for which she received critical acclaim and earned two Academy Award nominations for best supporting actress and best original song. She starred on the Netflix series "The Umbrella Academy," which premiered in February 2019. In April 2020, Blige voiced Queen Essence in Dreamworks's "Trolls 2: World Tour" movie and starred in Paramount's "Body Cam" -- alongside Nat Wolff -- released digitally in May 2020. Blige dropped a new single entitled "Can't Be Life," an original song for "Body Cam" featured over the film's end credits.
Blige stars on Starz's "Power Book II: Ghost," a spin-off series inspired by the original show "Power," that premiered on the network in September 2020. Season 3 of "Power Book II: Ghost" premiered in March 2023. She also voiced the character Rosy on the 2022 limited live-action series "Lost Ollie" for Netflix.
Blige launched her production company, Blue Butterfly, and signed a first-look TV deal with Lionsgate. Blige also executive produced Lifetime's "The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel." The biopic marked the highest-rated original movie for Lifetime since 2016.
In 2021, Blige worked with Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth and Amazon on the documentary "Mary J Blige's My Life," celebrating the 25th anniversary of her famed album "My Life." Blige is not only the subject of the documentary, where she reflects on her nearly 30-year career within the music industry, but she also served as an executive producer through her own production company Blue Butterfly. She also wrote an original song for the documentary, "Hourglass." The documentary was released on Amazon Prime Video on June 25, 2021.
Blige has also entered the fashion and beauty realm with her jewelry line Sister Love with longtime friend Simone I. Smith and her Love Me lipstick line with MAC Cosmetics. Blige also launched her own wine collection, Sun Goddess wines, in collaboration with the internationally prestigious Fantinel Winery. The collection includes three wines that are now available nationwide: an Italian Pinot Grigio Ramato, Sauvignon Blanc and Prosecco.