Amazon Prime released Mary J Blige’s My Life, a documentary on the life and the ever-evolving music career of singer Mary J. Blige. From living in a project with no safety and comfort to becoming one of the best R&B and hip-hop singers, Mary J Blige’s My Life tells the rags to riches story of the artist. The trend to make a film on the lives of singers has always been there. There are many such documentaries, and just like every other one, Mary J Blige’s My Life illustrates her life, her struggles, and her achievements beautifully.
Mary J Blige has had a long, successful career in music, but as we learn from the movie, she never even imagined that this is where she will be. Being the recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award, winning 9 Grammy Awards, and selling over 50 million albums, Mary J Blige’s My Life shows how the singer became a global superstar and an icon in the music industry.
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Iconic and Inspirational
Mary J Blige’s My Life also acknowledges how the singer has become an inspiration for many, especially women, by creating new national albums. She has recorded 13 albums in her whole music career but the second album My Life was her brainchild. After the success of her debut album What’s the 411? Blige recorded My Life. It was not just a regular hip-hop track. She put her soul into the album. Her creative circle became tightened by working with some of the greatest music producers like P. Diddy and Chucky Thompson. Mary J Blige’s My Life throws light to the long process that went into creating those 17 tracks.
What made My Life triumphant was the pain that Blige felt during that time. Mary J Blige’s My Life tells us that it was a dark time for the artist. But this album became a way through which she could tell her story. The album is filled with soul references, samples of soothing R&B worked as therapy for the listeners. Even though Blige says she never made My Life for the masses, the bluntness in the songs and the lyrics became the reason behind the huge success of the album.
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In the song Be Happy, Blige says, “How can I love somebody else if I can’t love myself enough to know when it’s time to let go?” These lyrics are not just words but the truth coming out of her personal experiences. In Mary J Blige’s My Life, the singer says it is hard being a human as we all go through tough times. But in these testing moments, strength and self-love can save people from anything.
Ghetto Fabulous
Mary J Blige’s My Life takes you into the journey of the growth of pop culture back in the ’90s. The world was filled with male artists and what was needed was a woman who would transcend all the expectations that were there. From Alicia Keys to Taraji P. Henson, Blige became a role model for every woman, especially women of colour.
However, the film Mary J Blige’s My Life does not delve too deep into the process of making the album. You will only get to see shots of Blige in the studio twice or thrice. This also leaves many questions unanswered. Maybe this was done on purpose as you could see in the movie a clip of an interview where Blige purposely does not answer the questions properly. Blige says in Mary J Blige’s My Life movie that “I’m very protective of that girl”. This could be a message to us or the filmmakers that she does not want to get too much into the details.
No matter what, Mary J Blige and her film Mary J Blige’s My Life is an inspirational story about perseverance. It shows how music became a way for Blige to communicate her feelings which resonated into the hearts of her fans. If you are a fan of the artist then you should definitely watch this film and jive on her songs.
You can watch Mary J Blige’s My Life on Amazon Prime.
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