Mary J. Blige on Current Life Approach: ‘You Have to Believe the Best of You’

Mary J. Blige nears retirement, but a new album keeps her thriving // Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige  (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

*Retirement may be imminent for Mary J. Blige, but with a new album on the way, a new film out now, and a solid approach to living her best life, don’t expect her to be in that mindstate anytime soon.

Reflecting on the latest single, the Fabolous-included “Breathing,” Blige approached her forthcoming and possibly final album with an attitude of appreciating herself and her journey. The new release is slated to arrive later this year.

“I can stop holding my breath now and exhale,” the 53-year-old hip-hop soul queen told HuffPost of the single, which dropped earlier this month. “It’s about the celebration of what true love really is. And what true love really is for me, is the love that I found for myself.”

With a life filled with personal and professional highs and lowlights, Blige is the personification of the music she sings.

And fans who have been with her since her start with her first album “What’s the 411,” and its fellow epic successor “My Life,” can testify, with its sounds and messages infiltrating on a personal level.

Mary J. Blige
Singer Mary J. Blige attends the Cancer Moonshot event on October 24, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

Thank you, TD Jakes.

“I used to watch [his sermons] in the morning, and he said, ‘What you believe about you and say about yourself is more effective than what anyone else could say about you,’” she recalled about how the prominent pastor and therapy have helped her shift to a better mentality. “That’s what started it for me. And my therapist, now, she’s saying the same thing, you have to believe the best of you. You have to believe the best of you.”

In addition to Fabolous, Blige has fellow New Yorker Jadakiss on board for the new album as well as others who she is tightlipped on. No matter what, her approach to the project is a notable one compared to earlier musical offerings.

“Each time [I’m recording an album] I’ll be like, ‘gosh, I really don’t know how to do this,’” she said of her process, explaining that her confidence in the music grows as she works on it more. But she has suspended doubt with her forthcoming album. “It’s great. The next single that’s coming after this is pretty damn incredible. I don’t even speak like that, but I have to. I’m speaking like that now.”

Blige’s new album approaches as she returns to the big screen with her latest feature, “Rob Peace.” Directed by and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, the film, which arrived in theaters on Aug. 16, is based on the true story of Rob Peace (Jay Will), a young Black man from Newark who tries to reconcile his path to creating a new, better future for himself with his determination to not leave his community behind. At the center of that work is helping his father (Ejiofor), who’s serving a life sentence, get his murder conviction overturned.

Mary J. Blige portrays Jackie Peace in 'Rob Peace'
Mary J. Blige portrays Jackie Peace in ‘Rob Peace’ – via Paramount

Blige’s attachment to the drama is personal, as it hits close to home with her drawing inspiration from her mother, Cora Blige, to play Jackie, Rob’s mother. In the film, Jackie advises her son to stay focused on creating a better life for himself.

“She was that woman living in the inner cities and in the projects wanting her children to have more and more than anything in the world, and wanting us to succeed,” Blige shared about her matriarch. “And being just a single parent mom trying to do that, the deadbeat dad and my mom went through the whole thing.”

For more of Mary J. Blige’s interview with HuffPost, click here.

MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mary J. Blige Lead Cast in Heart-Wrenching True Story ‘Rob Peace’ | Watch Trailer

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

Ora Jones in 'Noises Off' at Geffen Playhouse
Denise 'Vanity' Matthews - screenshot
James Gunn Shaq David Corenswet - via X screenshot
OUR ROOTS - Bob Marley - 2025
Scout Motors' Chief Design Officer Chris Benjamin - Photo Credit Scout Motors
Kanye West and Bianca Censori - via Instagram screenshot
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Valentine's rendezvous
Dulce Huertas - screenshot
Lil Wayne / YouTube screenshot
Anthony Mackie as Captain America
Cherelle Parker - screenshot
Read More
Kanye West and Bianca Censori on Grammy Red Carpet - screenshot
Read More
Damon Wayans
Read More
Beyond the Gates
Read More
Denzel Washington - Gladiator II
Read More
Learjet after crashing - via Grok AI
Read More
Sunny Hostin
Read More
Amtrak
Read More
Will Smith (AI character from 'I Am Legend 2'
Read More
Bevelyn Beatty Williams
Read More

POPULAR

Beyond the Gates
CBS to Air Special on New Daytime Soap Opera 'Beyond The Gates'
Onijah Andrew Robinson
Black American Woman Returns to New York After Bizarre Ordeal in Pakistan | Video
Taco Bell customer and security guard who slapped her
Crunch Slap Supreme: Taco Bell Security Guard Caught Brutally Slapping Black Woman in Viral Video | WATCH
Raising Kanan Fourth Season
New Trailer for 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Hints at Intense Season 4 | Watch
Irv Gotti - Getty
Irv Gotti's Family Expects a Packed Church for His Funeral at Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral
Kendrick Lamar performing
'Worst Halftime Show Ever!' - Reactions to Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show | WATCH
Serena Williams - via screenshot
Serena Williams Reveals Kendrick Lamar Requested Her Crip Walk Performance - That's it. No 'Git Back' at Drake
Taco Bell customer and security guard who slapped her
LA African American Leaders Call for Justice Following Slap Attack on Black Woman at Taco Bell Cantina - Presser Called for 5pm Today!
Emotional couple
12 Common Phrases that Signal Emotional Immaturity