Mary J. Blige

American singer, songwriter, producer, and actress

Mary J. Blige is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. After growing up in Yonkers, New York, she eventually became known as the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” for the distinctive blend of hip-hop beats and soulful vocals found on her groundbreaking debut album, What’s the 411?, which was released in 1992 (when she was just 21 years old) and contained the ubiquitous hit Real Love.

Blige followed this with a string of hit-laden albums including My Life—ranked on Apple Music’s list of the 100 Best Albums—Share My World, Mary, No More Drama, and Good Morning Gorgeous. She has won nine Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group for the 1994 classic I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By with Method Man, Best R&B Album for 2005’s The Breakthrough, Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the single Be Without You, and Best R&B Album for 2007’s Growing Pains. She has also collaborated with U2, Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, George Michael, Jay-Z, Sam Smith, Nas, Sting, Drake, Chaka Khan, and Lil' Kim.

She hosted the Apple Music Radio show Real Talk and performed in the 2022 special Apple Music Live: Mary J. Blige. As an actress, Blige has appeared in the films Prison Song, Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Rock of Ages, Betty and Coretta, and Mudbound, and starred in the TV series Power Book II: Ghost. Blige was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.