o MAGAzine

vox
MAGAzine
THE R&B UPDATE
Exclusive interview
with
MARY J. BLIDGE
AND ALICIA KEYS,
BEYONCY, THE-DREAM,
USHER , REWIEVS ,
UPDATES AND EVENTS
Issue May, 2009
Price $7.5
THE QUEEN OF R & B
MARY J. BLIDGE
”I’m still trying to heal and get better BUT
- No pain, no gain”
vox Magazine
THE MAGIC VOICE
There’s little, if any, denying that Mary J. Blige is one of the greatest
singers of our time. The proof is in the consistent #1 albums and singles,
six (6) Grammy awards, seven (7) multi-platinum records and 15-years
of love from the public, critics and fellow artists. Since her 1992 debut
- the modern classic What’s the 411 all the way to 2005’s stunning The
Breakthrough Mary J. Blige has helped to redefine R&B.
A
sk what fans can expect from
Growing Pains and Mary J. Blige is
characteristically upfront. ”They’re going
to get a sense of what my state of mind is and
how I view the world,” she says. ”And hopefully,
most of all, they’re going to hear just the sincere
honesty and love that I have for them. I’m always
putting myself out there like, look. I love ya’ll. I
got ya’ll. I’m rocking with ya’ll. So that’s what
they’re going to get, that commitment. I hope
they’re going to be very happy with that.”
You can hear Mary’s own happiness and strength
all throughout Growing Pains. Working in
partnership with some of the best in the game
e.g., Tricky and Dream, Neyo and Stargate, The
Neptunes, Dre and Vidal, Jazze Pha, Sean Garrett,
and featuring guest appearances by Ludacris, and
Usher, Growing Pains is the sound of an artist in
love, in touch, in control, and not afraid to show.
More than anything Growing Pains gives you
straight up Mary letting the public share her
world, and delivering a message that says, Love
yourself. Believe in yourself and kick negativity
to the curb.
Mary makes her message loud, clear and seriously
funky on ”Just Fine,” a celebration of life, gives you
Mary fierce and (as the video shows) glamorous.
The songs’ vibe? ”Sometimes it feels like you’re
having this miserable time, like all 365 days of
the year are tough. But then, you get one of those
days; maybe when your hair is great, or you’re not
stuck in traffic; where it’s a ’just fine’ day. At
some point,” Mary laughs. ”You’ve got to have
one or two of those.”
The party and positivity keeps on keeping on with
the rump shaking second single ”Work That” currently featured on an Apple iPod commercial.
”Work That” is upbeat, strong and deals with
finding the good in you. ”When I meet a woman
who doesn’t know what to do about her weight
or her hair I always says to her ’whatever it is that
you have, make that work for you, work what you
got.”’
She also continues to mature in the studio:
taking control of the total recording and creative
process and doing so with confidence and chops.
”Making records is different than when I started
because now I know what I want and there’s not
fifty people running the show. Now (husband/
creative partner) Kendu Isaacs and I run the
show. Kendu’s ear is good, my ear is good, and
we’re honest with each other.”
Needless to say, when you have that type of
success all eyes are on the next release. Mary
keeps it all in perspective by focusing on what
really matters. The journey. The growth. The love.
And as always the music and the fans. ”I’m still
trying to heal and get better and that’s what
Growing Pains represents. It’s about accepting
that there’s pain that goes along with growing
and change. No pain, no gain.”