Shes had the hip hop/soul game on lock for 22 years but now Mary
J. Blige is switching it up with a brand new album, The London
Sessions. Gloria Ogunbambo caught up with the legendary diva to
talk about her love affair with the capital, keeping her sanity in
check, and the lessons shes learned.
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Its strange to think that this year marks 22 years since the
release of Mary J Bliges debut album Whats The 411? Under the
guiding hands of its executive producer Puff Daddy, not only was
the seminal release pioneering in its fusing together of the worlds
of hip hop and soul, it also introduced the world to Mary J Bliges
distinctive and inimitable, one-of-a-kind voice. Raw, soulful and
always brimming to the hilt with emotion, its that same stellar
voice that has catapulted Ms. Blige to the top of the charts, to
platinum albums, to sell-out tours and to nine Grammy Awards. Like
a loyal, trusty girlfriend, Marys albums have always been there to
see us through the ups and downs and the heartbreaks and triumphs.
In the nicest way possible, to me, Mary J Blige has always been the
musical equivalent of true north you always know exactly where you
are with her and what shes going to give you. On Mary J Blige: The
London Sessions, the songstress 13th studio album, get set for all
that to change. And to think, it all started with a left field
collaboration with hip UK house duo Disclosure.
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Of HopHip Soul
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Marys appreciation for UK talent has never been a secret: she
recruited the vocals talents of Jessie J for her Christmas album
last year, and recently teamed up with man-of-the-moment Sam Smith
on his smash hit Stay With Me. However it was her feature on
Disclosures F For You that made people sit up, take notice and
reconsider her all over again. Fresh, unexpected, and most
crucially, cool and relevant the collaboration proved that even
after all these years, Brooklyn Blige still has a few tricks up her
sleeve. Even she couldnt have predicted what a buzz the
collaboration would create. The song just blew up over in London.
Thats when I sat down and thought, Lets do an EP together. Me and
Disclosure. But it was actually the brilliant idea of Steve
Barnett, who is the head of Capitol to say, No. Lets not just do
Mary and Disclosure. Lets do Mary and London. And so The London
Sessions were born.
Recorded in the heart of the capital over the course of a month,
Mary teamed up with the crme de la crme of British music: Emeli
Sand and Naughty Boy, Sam Smith and of course, Disclosure to put
together her innovative new album. You know youve got a pretty
powerful reputation abroad for producing quality music when a
legend like Blige decamps all the way from New York to work with
you in your own back garden. So just what was it about the British
scene and the prospect of recording an entire body of work in
London that was such an attractive idea to her? The UK scene is so
exciting. Im an artist first. I need to sing. I need to write and I
need the freedom to express myself, to inspire and be inspired.
I love fortnum & Mason, Paul Smith, Joseph. I even
discovered fiSh n ChiPS!
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CoverIm never gonna stop. As long as Im living this
rollercoaster called life Im going to be expressing myself through
song. The radio is incredible here; you guys get RnB, pop, hip hop
all on the same station. Thats how it was in NYC when I was growing
up great music was just great music. I appreciate that freedom.
All work and no play would certainly make Mary a dull lady
indeed, so Im thrilled by the fact she managed to get well and
truly acquainted with some British pastimes in the month she spent
here. I love Fortnum & Mason, so Id have tea there all the
time. London is amazing for fashion and food. I mean, you have all
the amazing designers here like Paul Smith, who I love, and Matthew
Williamson. And I mean, Ive been loving Joseph for a long, long
time! Ever since Ive been coming here. I discovered this place for
breakfast called Dishoom that I love and also this fi sh n chips
place called Sea Shell of Lisson Grove. Just as Im ready to fi le
the mental image of Mary J Blige getting stuck into some good old
mushy peas and gravy into my minds archives, the bubble is swiftly
burst. No! she laughs throatily. I just stuck to the cod or the sea
bass with fries.
Getting back to the music, freedom is a concept that Blige
mentions several times over the course of our interview. I wonder
if her desire to venture into new waters, break with tradition, and
open herself up to a whole new
roster of producers and songwriters is because she felt
constrained and shackled by the very sound she popularised. Lets be
frank; there was a period where if you needed a good cry and wanted
to feel all the pain, drama and heartbreak of life, a Mary J Blige
album was your album of choice. Its worth mentioning that while
Mary is cordial, aff able and forthcoming all the way through our
interview, this particular question brings out the
straight-talking, no-nonsense Brooklynite in her. Oh no, no, no,
no. When I say freedom Im just saying that in the UK you dont just
hear one song 15 times a day. My music has never been shackling!
(So vehement is the emphasis on this word that she manages to
stretch it to four syllables.) Not now, not ever!
That being said, Mary has been shackled by personal demons at
various points throughout her 22-year career. (God, I was so dumb!)
However rather than shy away from those struggles, Blige instead
used them as fuel for her music, that gritty realness that has come
to defi ne her and make us love her all the more. Does she ever
regret being so open? No I dont regret it. I look at it like this:
since the beginning of my career the beginning of my life even Ive
been a vessel. We dont need to go back there into all of that but,
so many things have happened to get me to the place where Im not
afraid to express how Im feeling and expose to the world that, you
know what? Everyone suff ers. You do and I do.
That doesnt mean that experience hasnt taught her the necessity
of holding back sometimes. When I look back I always wish I would
have had more confi dence within myself. Now I get it: I know what
I can do, I love what I do, and I understand who Mary J Blige is.
Back then I was still trying to fi gure it out but my music was
speaking so heavily from the inside of me that it was ruling my
life. I just let it all rip well actually I still do that! [Except
now] I retain something for my sanity. Im human. I have to walk
down the street and I have to feel good about me. I cant have
everybody knowing everything. With todays overexposed celebrity
culture, its refreshing to meet a celebrity (in the true sense of
the word) who doesnt desperately chase media attention and lives
her life privately. Whats life without that? Everything is not for
everyone. I dont care how social media is, or if everyone needs to
know what youre doing. Youve gotta have something for yourself.
Youve gotta save something for yourself.
Su ce to say, with this revitalised approach to making music,
Marys certainly set to introduce a whole new generation of fans to
her music. That being said, she makes it crystal clear to me that
the pe ople whove been riding right alongside her since day one,
wont feel cast aside. Im humbled that I am still here and thankful
to God for still allowing me to be here and to do this for my fans
and for the new fans who love what Im doing right now. [The album
is] fun and fresh you can expect a lot of diversity. People are
going to say, Wow, oh she went there? Oh thats hot! At the same
time you can expect to hear Mary J Blige, the tone of her voice
youll recognise that straight away as its all in there. Youre not
going to be shunned away because I didnt stray too far from the
formula. Right now, Im just like here we go again, its a new book
and new chapter of my life. Lets go!
My music used to speak so heavily from the inside of me that it
was ruling my life. P
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