10 Best Facts about Mary Jane Blige

10 Best Facts about Mary Jane Blige

Mary Jane Blige was born on January 11, 1971, in the Bronx, New York City, United States. She is a famous iconic Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, philanthropist and model who has always been called the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul”. Blige started her career in the late 1980s as a background singer and later in 1992, she launched her debut album, ‘What’s the 411?’ which made her career take off since then she has released 13 studio albums and won several awards in her career including the Grammy Awards and the Billboard Icon Award. Mary has always been a figure of inspiration, empowerment and transformation since she uses her gift of song to lift spirits and touch lives.

Blige is loved by her fans because of her passion which moves people and she brings her soul, heart and nothing but the truth to her listeners. Therefore, this article is going to explore more of the facts about Mary J Blige so that the readers can be able to familiarize themselves with the Iconic figure.

1. She was the youngest and first female artist to be signed by records.

Mary performing on stage. Photo by Mikamote-Wikimedia

Just at 18, she began to touch the lives of people with her soul-hearted songs. Her father was a jazz musician and Blige was able to take music lessons from her father when she was a child. Her mother was also so passionate about soul and R&B music and she might have inspired her in some way. She also encouraged her to sing in the church choir. In 1989 when she was just 18, she was signed with Andre Harrell’s Uptown Records and she became the MCA-distributed label’s youngest and first female artist. This signing happened after Blige sang an unplanned cover of Anita Baker’s “Caught Up in the Rapture” and it really caught the attention of Uptown Records. She worked as a backup singer until she released her famous debut album ‘What’s the 411?’ in 1992.

2.  She is a businesswoman

Blige launched her first perfume “My Life” on Home Shopping Network in July 2010. The perfume broke Home Shopping Network records by selling 50,000 bottles during its premiere and the fragrance has been awarded two FIFI awards from the Fragrance Foundation. In August 2011 she again launched the newest perfume ‘My Life Blossom.’ Blige launched a line of sunglasses ‘Melodies by MJB’ in October 2010 which featured four styles with a total of 20 colour options in its first collection. Essence magazine in 2011 reported that each style represented a specific facet of Blige’s life.

3. She is an award-winning artist

Mary Blige recieving a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo by Angela George-Wikimedia

Blige has been seen receiving several awards throughout her career. She has won 9 Grammy Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, four American Music Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards including the Billboard Icon Award. She was also ranked by Video Hits One (VH1) as the 80^th greatest artist in 2011 and also in 2012 she was ranked the 9 in “The 100 Greatest Women in Music” list. Mary has also been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards in the film ‘Mud bound’ and its original song ‘Mighty River’. This led her to become the first person nominated for songwriting and acting in the same year.

4. She dropped out of high school.

When she was in 11^th grade Mary dropped out of high school as a teenager, she always knew she wanted to become a singer. She told The Big Issue that she was very rebellious and she didn’t listen to what her mother was saying neither was her principal. This is something she regrets and she wished that she had finished her education. Luckily Blige got a second chance and she was able to go back to school where she did her exams and earned her high school diploma. She later got to understand that education was key to life and through this experience, she began to support women with college scholarships through the Mary J. Blige and Stoute Foundation.

5. She dealt with addiction.

When Blige was 5 years old when she was sexually assaulted by a friend of the family and during her teenage years she was also sexually harassed by her friends. These caused her a lot of pain, and the only way she could get rid of it was to indulge herself in alcohol, drugs and promiscuous sex. It only dawned on her that she was in a very dark place when her close friend died from alcoholism and she realized maybe she was next yet she didn’t want to die like that. She also familiarized herself with a fellow singer, Amy Winehouse who also died from alcohol poisoning and she said she understood her pain.

6. She began the Blige Movement.

A picture of Mary Blige in an interview by WBLS-Wikimedia

Blige has always used her gift of singing to touch lives while bringing her soul and heart to all her fans. She has continued to be so passionate about singing and her songs like “Be Without You” and “Family Affair” has been chart-top hits. It is through her force In Music that she began The Blige Movement to connect more with the fans that have accompanied her through her fails and growth.

7. Both of her parents were stabbed.

Mary J. Blige’s father Thomas Blige was stabbed thrice by Cheryl who was his girlfriend, but he sustained a neck injury and was rushed to the hospital for surgery. Cheryl was tracked by the police after the incident and was found at her apartment. Later in the court trial, Thomas admitted that they always had serious domestic problems. Cheryl was then sentenced to 365 days in jail and was ordered to pay Thomas Blige’s hospital bills.

Cora Blige, Mary’s mother who was a nurse and had divorced Mary’s father after a few years of marriage, was stabbed in her apartment by an acquittance. Luckily, Mary’s mother managed to escape the incident and was able to recover completely. Mary admitted that this tragedy impacted her.

8. She started the Mary J. Blige Centre for Women

A text advocating for the end of domestic abuse-Wikimedia

Mary grew up surrounded by abuse since she used to watch women being physically abused to death by their men. This caught her attention as a child and she told herself that when she grows up, she will reach out to other women in need so that she can help them build their self-esteem to avoid men physically abusing them to the point of death. Truly, she managed to make this dream come to life by starting the Mary J. Blige Center for Women which has doctors, psychologists, and daycare centres to help these women in need. 

9. She has starred in several films.

Blige made her first appearance in acting on the sitcom ‘The Jamie Foxx Show’ in 1998.  In 2001, Blige also starred in the independent film ‘Prison Song’ alongside the rapper Q-Tip. In 2004, Mary starred in an Off-Broadway play, ‘The Exonerated’ which documented the experiences of death row inmates. She starred in MTV Films in late 2005. Later on, in 2007, Mary stirred on “Ghost whisperer’, and ‘An Entourage’ and was a guest at American Next Top Model. She acted in Lifetime alongside Angela Basset and Malik Yoba. In 2017 she acted in the drama film ‘Mud bound.’ Blige voiced Irene Adler in the 2018 animated film ‘Sherlock Gnomes’ and in 2020 she voiced again Queen Essence in the animated musical film ‘Trolls World Tour.’ She has also starred in the current films ‘The Umbrella Academy’ and ‘Power Book II: Ghost.’

10. Mary J. Blige’s divorce was painful and ugly.

Mary Blige by Vogue Taiwan-Wikimedia

On December 7, 2003, Mary got married to her husband Martin “Kendu” Isaacs who was her manager at that time. Martin had two children from her previous marriage. Later, the two got divorced on June 21, 2018, because of “irreconcilable differences.” Mary admitted that she went through a lot for several years they had been together before she called it quits. She also revealed that her husband had cheated on her with someone she had mentored in the past. She was hurt that her husband never picked her but picked somebody else.