00:00the queen of hip-hop and R&B Miss Mary J Blige how are you I'm great how are you
00:11I'm fabulous you look beautiful thank you so much for joining us here at the Samsung
00:14stage thanks for having me all right I'm just gonna go ahead and jump on into it
00:18congratulations on your 13th album the London sessions thank you we have grieved
00:26with you grown with you rejoice with you what message did you want to convey in
00:31this album to your fans I mean for me just change you know I just needed
00:37something to do something different for about 20 something years I had been
00:41consistent in R&B and hip-hop and you know just very consistent with my fans but
00:47this was something completely different I did I went all the way across the seas
00:51right to do an album and to do something completely different you're speaking to
00:56a different part the artist that's in you yes I needed to feed that because I
01:00mean I'm gonna always be Mary I'm gonna always be hip-hop and R&B and you know
01:04just what we love but I needed to challenge myself somewhere else just to
01:08see if I could do something else definitely I understand that and there
01:12are so many artists that have come out of the UK most currently called the
01:16Coldplay Sam Smith but the Beatles Rolling Stones what is it from a creative
01:22perspective perspective that brought you to the UK was it something about maybe
01:26the artists that came from there or what called you there I think it's the
01:30music ever since Soul La Soul would keep on moving and brand new heavies like
01:36let's go all the way back and then you have all of it Amy Winehouse and Sam Smith's and
01:42Disclosures and it's the fact that they allow the artists to just be artists like
01:48Shaka Khan is a huge star in London she's not an old singer you know what I
01:53mean so I think they allow people to just be artists and they don't hold them
01:58back they're all about the music and I hate to cut into your question about
02:02Glattsonbury but the thing I loved about Glattsonbury is that we got a
02:07chance to see so many people come together in rain and mud just for music they
02:13really really loved the music they stood outside they had mud up to their knees they
02:17had teepees and tents so they really really loved the music and that's what
02:21I that's what made me go over there and you've been touring a lot you mentioned
02:25Glattsonbury you're now here with us here in New Orleans how do you stay
02:29centered and focused while on the road with such a busy schedule I mean my my
02:35centering is the mornings and the morning is prayer it's meditation it's
02:40focus getting my spirit right so I can deal with all of this because right it's so
02:47much going on that you need to be you know you need to be centered in one with
02:51God so you can get on here at essence we've been talking a lot about the
02:55transition in Hollywood where so many african-american women are breaking down
02:59doors going behind the lens and that sort of thing right and you yourself are a
03:03pioneer in the music industry taking taking such a big footprint in that in a
03:10male-dominated industry do you consider yourself a pioneer I mean yeah at this
03:16point yes and the transition now seeing more women in the space as producers and
03:22more writers more artists what has it been like seeing the industry grow from
03:27your perspective it's been amazing from watching it grow from my perspective
03:31because there are so many artists that are pieces of Mary J Bly that makes me
03:37smile it's like wow look what I've birthed it's amazing to watch them yeah so I have
03:46to also ask you you've been busy doing Amphar Global Citizens Earth Day knowing
03:51that it's for a good cause does it add a little something something something if
03:56you will to the performance yeah it makes you more passionate because it's about
03:59saving lives and these people you know they're raising money for research you
04:03know for an AIDS when here we don't even speak about it anymore and they're
04:07raising billions of dollars while people are still dying you know they're still
04:13talking about it and so it makes me very excited and very happy and
04:17passionate to sing but I'm far know that thank you for that and we consider you
04:22family here at essence you perform multiple times here at the festival what
04:26keeps you coming back year after year I mean just essence they keep calling
04:31experience with the fans when you give them what they want it's priceless the gift in
04:43return the energy you can't you can't buy that anywhere and you leave so full you
04:49know fulfilled with all the energy from the fans and I have to ask you I'm a
04:53Louisiana girl I know whenever I'm back in town from New York first thing I do is
04:58eat catch up with my family eat what's the first thing you do when you're here
05:01in Nola eat go to mother's yes yes yes what do the good people of essence live
05:09have to look forward to for your show tonight oh they're just gonna have a
05:12good time we're gonna have a good time we're gonna do what we do we're gonna
05:16have a just just get ready to do what we do that's it and I have to say I've seen
05:21you perform and those stilettos you work it right how do you stay in shape and
05:26prepare for a show well energy is here well I work out I made training a part of
05:32my everyday life it's like a job now so I train every day and I take when I'm on
05:38the road I only train on off days because I have an hour and 45 minute set so I can't
05:45train on that day but I can train the day after but when I'm home every day
05:49Wow yes so is it always like high intensity or it's it's high intensity in the
05:56beginning of the week and then there's cardio at the end of the week so I'm
06:00doing weights I'm doing cardio I'm doing legs I'm doing glutes I'm doing back
06:04you look absolutely amazing thank you so much thank you so much for taking the time
06:12out of your schedule to get with us here at the Sam you're very welcome and now
06:16y'all don't go anywhere because we have something special for everyone here in
06:19the audience we have a golden ticket giveaway for one winner and a guest to be
06:26VIP attendees for the concert tonight I need to see some energy energy
06:33where are your Samsung phones put your Samsung phones in the air I have a winner I think I have a winner I have a winner
06:42I have a winner oh right here in the purple
06:47you
06:54you
06:56you
06:58you
07:00you
07:02you
