Currently on her joyful For My Fans Tour, V-103's Greg Street got to speak with Mary J. Blige ahead of her highly-anticipated stop in Atlanta, discussing what attendees can expect and the huge impact the concerts have had on her.
LISTEN NOW: V-103's Greg Street with Mary J. Blige
“I'm really excited about Atlanta, you know, that's a second home, and that's always fun, always a good time,” Mary tells Greg. This outing is truly a labor of love for Blige, who produced the tour herself. “The ‘For My Fans Tour,’ it's for my fans, and everything that's going on in this show is for the fans… it almost made me cry,” she admits. “Everything is for them, every single thing."
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Released in November of last year, Mary J. Blige returned with her 15th studio album, Gratitude, featuring 12 tracks including the singles “Here I Am,” “Breathing” featuring Fabolous, “You Ain’t The Only One,” and more.
“It's just where I am, just being grateful for my life,” she says. “Grateful, you know, for my evolution, and just where my head is at, and my peace of mind. Just all the beautiful things and the blessings, the lessons, and everything -- and just being able to sustain for all these years, and having fans, and just knowing where all my strength comes from, which is from prayer and being honest with myself.”
Mary J. Blige - Gratitude tracklist:
1. Breathing feat. Fabolous
2. Need You More feat. Jadakiss
3. Beautiful People
4. You Ain’t The Only One
5. Never Give Up On Me
6. Nobody But You
7. Here I Am
8. Don’t F*** Up
9. Superpowers
10. Can’t Wait For You
11. God’s Child feat. Fat Joe
12. I Got Plans feat. A$AP Ferg
Mary adds, “I'm just grateful that I can actually be honest with myself, and I can actually have love for myself and give love to people, and I got family and friends that care about me, and I’m grateful to still have a career, you know? I'm not just singing anymore; I'm an actress, I'm a producer, I'm behind the camera, in front of the camera -- I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.”
Another place MJB feels right at home, of course, is inside a pair of thigh high boots. Congratulations are certainly in order regarding her long-awaited and instantly sold-out boot collaborations with Giuseppe Zanotti.
“That was a long time coming. The fans have been like, ‘Mary, where's the boots? Where's the boots? Where's the boots?’ So, last year at the Strength of a Woman festival, which is the festival that I normally would hold in ATL, I did it last year in New York, and during my last performance of the night, I wore the copper boots and I announced it to everybody, and they sold out in a day. In a day! So, the copper boots are gone pretty much, but we just released the winter white and you can get them from any store. The winter white thigh high, you can get it from any store, any Giuseppe store online, wherever you want to choose.”
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Mary J. was also inducted as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2024 class last year -- an accomplishment she views as an honor for her “walk of life.”
“If you can sustain and come out sane, and still love people and love yourself in this business, they're gonna honor you for it,” Mary explains. “A lot of people were getting honored, and they were like in their graves -- they were 80 years old. A lot of people couldn't, you know, they were too old to receive, and I got mine just in time. I'm not too young, I'm not too old. I did what I was supposed to do, so I'm so grateful for that."
Looking ahead, Mary says she’s got “Lot's coming up. A lot of stuff is coming up. I can't give you the names of the projects right now, but It's coming, you'll see. I produced a movie, the third Lifetime movie called ‘Family Affair.’ The first one was ‘Real Love,’ ‘Strength of a Woman,’ and the third one is ‘Family Affair,’ which came on Saturday. So, I'm a producer now as well, and you'll be seeing more stuff real soon.”
Don't miss Greg Street's full chat with Mary J. Blige above, and stay tuned for more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy. Plus, Listen to Mary J. Blige Radio and more on the free Audacy app.