Ahead of the 30th anniversary of her sophomore album, rap queen, Mary J Blige has revealed why the album My Life is so important to her.
Speaking in Billboard chat, she touched on the impact of the record, adding that she was “in a dark place” when she worked on the 1994 project.
“That album is so important because it was so pivotal for when it came time for me to choose…”I was in a dark place where I didn’t wanna live, and I was begging people to love me and stay with me.
“Now, I’m not begging anyone to love and stay with me. I love myself. I found my real love. My true love is myself and I,” she noted, with a firm conviction that the album played a part in her “self-love journey.”
The Family Affair singer released his much-acclaimed second studio album on Nov. 29, 1994, and went on to receive a Best R&B Album nomination for it in 1996.
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The album, which had received many certifications, is praised as one of her “biggest classics” and was also the sole focus of her 2021 Prime Video documentary, Mary J. Blige’s My Life. In the documentary, she recalled her early rise to fame and the inspiration behind her work.
“My Life is the album that really bonded me with my fans who have since been along for what turned out to be a crazy ride. Going back and reliving that time and that music felt like an out-of-body experience, but one I’m so humbled by [it],” she told a media outlet at back in the day.
She also credited those who fine-tuned the album and helped record a video for songs on the compilation.
Mary J is preparing for the fourth and final season of her Starz series, which resumes on September 6. When she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she thanked her fans, whom she said “meant so much” to her.
