I would later find out that, among my friend group, we were each carrying some trauma: parents’ divorce, being in foster care, unwanted sexual attention, depression, loneliness. (FFAWN) provides educational access and parenting support for women. Her own Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now Inc. It is not as though Blige herself is unaware people need material resources. A culturally competent therapist could talk about the therapeutic nature of Blige’s music and what other material resources someone, including Blige, might need including therapy. Given what we know Mary has survived - abuse, manipulation, poverty, the music industry, wealth - the presence of mental health expertise would have been informative and empowering.
Hensen, now a spokeswoman for Black mental health, does not broach the subject in her interviews. Hensen’s presence, it would have made sense to include a therapist or an expert who could speak to the trauma Blige has survived. Unfortunately, the documentary does not benefit from the voice of a Black mental health professional. When Blige talks explicitly about depression, we see an animated Mary with her iconic blonde pigtails standing alone as water rises above her head. Much of the animation communicates a particular mood within the documentary segment. The sun also doubles as an old 45 record spinning its music. This is “little Mary” as Blige refers to her, living her “life in the sunshine,” to riff off the Roy Ayers sample. Often, the animation returns to the image of a little girl’s face in profile with the sun behind her. Blige fashion, those portions are grown-woman honest.Ĭreative animation shorts shore up memories of early life or obscure private moments. The documentary had to address Blige’s relationship with K-Ci of Jodeci. The film narrates Blige’s early life, teenage years, discovery, rapid ascent to stardom, and the creative and personal events surrounding the My Life album. The My Life documentary combines reflective interviews, studio footage, archival interview footage, performance clips, meet-and-greets with fans, archival news reels, and conversations between Blige and some of the people who made the My Life album. This mix of trauma and triumph comprises the central tension of the film and, dare I say it, the tension at the heart of how we understand Black women: how do we talk about Blige’s pain (and that of her legion of Black women fans) without circumscribing her (and them) to do it? This sophomore effort cemented her as the spokeswoman for Black women’s pain and the one who always emerged victorious. Blige’s: My Life documentary celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of her second album. We each connected to her music, for reasons I would only be able to fully appreciate as an adult. What made Blige’s gritty and vulnerable longing in her My Life album resonate with us as little girls? It couldn’t have just been that we wanted to be grown, singing grown folks’ songs. Reminiscing on that brings me to an uneasy smile. At the end, when Blige said, “Now let it breathe,” Maritza and Nicole harmonized the background vocal, “All I really want / is for me / to be happy” and Tonya and I crooned the original chorus “All I really want / is to be happy.” In true Blige fashion, we left it all on the stage. I turned my denim apple hat backwards for the occasion and let my hair curl around my ears. We choreographed an original routine and were each responsible for separate singing parts. Blige’s “Be Happy” for a school talent show. Maritza, Tonya, Nicole, and I planned to sing Mary J. Blige.We rehearsed for weeks in Maritza’s basement: four Black and Brown girls with hairbrushes in front of the mirror. Blige has always been honest about her life, particularly through her music, but there's more to this musician than even her biggest fans know. "It just saved you." And after nearly 30 years in the music business, Blige has had an undeniable influence on the industry, and is gearing up to continue making a difference with new projects on the horizon. "The only thing, I think, that kept us guided was the music," she said of her childhood, for example, in her 2021 documentary, " Mary J. She's an incredibly strong woman who has overcome major obstacles, and who has always used music as a refuge in times of sorrow, as well as a medium to share her innermost demons. Blige is more than just a singer, though. With more than 50 million albums sold worldwide, the "I'm Goin' Down" singer has rightfully earned her title as Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. The following article includes mentions of domestic abuse, addiction, mental health struggles, and suicidal thoughts.įor decades, the world has been gifted with music from Mary J. We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.