Mary J. Blige has spilled that her first album in four years is set to be released in November.
The 50-year-old music icon teased during an Instagram Live with DJ-and-rapper D-Nice this week that the delayed record is finally coming out this winter, and it will mark her first studio effort since 2017’s Strength of a Woman.
Mary said in the studio: “It’s about to go crazy over here, a single is due to be released next month,” The soul star previously teased that the album is “about life, love, struggle, but mostly triumph. Because I’m learning how to rejoice in the valleys and the droughts.
“It reflects all of our lives as women that are bosses and know that they can say they’re bosses right now.”
Since her last record, Mary has released a slew of singles, including dance-tinged “Only Love” and “Thriving” with Nas. Meanwhile, the “Family Affair” hitmaker recently admitted she credits her fans with saving her from suicidal thoughts. Mary considered taking her own life early in her professional career, but, ultimately, chose to seek help because she knew she had loyal supporters who were counting on her.
She said: “I think subconsciously, I was like, Oh I can’t kill myself now. All these people, somebody’s going to come behind me, because people were too die-hard and strong and emotional about this album. So I believe in my subconscious, I was like I can’t [die] now. I’ve just got to thug this out. I’ve got to push through. And so I just kept pushing and pushing, no matter how hard it got, no matter how ugly it got.”
The “One” singer has been dealing with mental health issues for over two decades, and although it’s an ongoing process, Mary says she’s in a much better place than she used to be.
She added, “It’s not as bad as it was, I’m in a great place. But I have to fight for my freedom and my happiness every single day because that was some heavy imprisonment, you know?”
The Grammy-winner previously discussed how music has helped saved her life.
She said: “Music was a vessel God used to save my life. If I did not have music … I probably wouldn’t be here. There were so many things that happened … My mom struggling to raise us as a single mother. My dad not being around as a little kid, letting us struggle in a place that was terrible. I love him and respect him now, but I was angry for years about it.”
