Mary J. Blige interview: 'You take your life experience and you purge it'
(Photo courtesy of D'Andre Michael)
Though there’s a certain glamour that comes with a two-decade career that has produced eight multimillion-selling albums and earned nine Grammy Awards, Mary J. Blige lays it on the line when she sings. She’s the same way when she converses in an interview. No matter how many records she’s sold, one senses that her humbling, often troubled upbringing in Yonkers, New York, is never far from the surface.
In an interview before beginning a tour that brings her to the Chicago Theatre on Sunday, the singer discussed her latest album, “Stronger With Each Tear” (Geffen), and her upcoming starring role in a Nina Simone movie.
Q: The song “I Can See in Color” is you at your best. It was originally written for the movie “Precious” and it sure sounds like you connected with that character’s struggle.
A: I did. Precious was depressed, going through a lot of strife and it made me go back to my own life when I was going through my own depression. I wasn’t able to see how beautiful the roses were or how beautiful the sunny day was. You can’t see anything. You’re walking through life in black and white. Precious was going through so much. Her mom hated her, she hated herself, she was ashamed for having a kid by her mother’s boyfriend. She got to the point where you don’t want to see anything. That’s where I got the song title. Precious says to her mom, “I see who you are now,” and she finally was able to let go of everyone holding her back.
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