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Mary J. Blige credits faith and pastors for helping her take control of her career
ReMary J. Blige credits faith and pastors for helping her take control of her career
Mary J. Blige said on Michelle Obama's podcast that spiritual guidance helped her confront pride, apologize to colleagues, and take responsibility for her career around the release of her 2001 album "No More Drama."
Mary J. Blige says her faith and the teachings of TV pastors helped her confront her own pride and take responsibility for her career at a critical turning point. During an appearance on the "IMO" podcast with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, the singer said that around the release of her 2001 album "No More Drama," she realized she had been taken advantage of and needed to change her approach.
"I used to get upset and curse everybody out because things weren't working. And it wasn't their fault. It was my fault," Blige said, explaining that she later apologized to every person involved in helping her release the album. When Robinson asked where she found the wherewithal to take accountability, Blige pointed directly to her spiritual life.
"It's the spiritual side of things," she said. "And I started listening to a lot of, like, TV pastors and people that had information, and pride and arrogance and all that stuff. A proud and haughty person won't go further than this, you know? So it was a lot, I was getting a lot of information that caused me to pause and look at myself."
Blige said the messages forced her to recognize that she was being "prideful and disrespectful to people" and that she needed to make amends. "I think I prayed the prayer, 'Lord, show me myself.' You know, and I still pray that prayer. I got to see me," she added.
The singer explained that during the "No More Drama" period, she noticed some people in her life were trying to help her while others were still trying to "destroy" her. "So I had to keep those people in my life and take responsibility. My responsibility was I was ignorant to a lot of things and blame it on everybody else. So I took full responsibility," she said.
Blige also said she wanted to educate herself about the financial side of the music industry, noting that people around her had been benefiting from her lack of awareness. "I don't want to start labeling things, but everybody was looking out for themselves, and they were benefiting off of the fact that I was unaware," she said. "And that happened for a long time. So, when I woke up and realized, you know, Mary, you have to get educated. You have to stay on your business."
Industry observers said her comments stand out in an entertainment world often focused on blame. Christian Toto, editor of, said Blige's remarks strike "a very different, and refreshing tone" compared with the victimhood narratives common in Hollywood. "Hollywood is a brutal industry. The pressure. The competition. The forces well beyond your control. It only makes sense that some artists turn to their faith to light their way and take responsibility for their careers," he said.
Seth A. Schachner, a former Sony Music executive and managing director of Strat Americas, said Blige's advice about getting educated is "absolutely evergreen and still very current and valid." He noted that while many artists now have the freedom to operate without a label, they still must handle promotion, marketing, and finding new business on their own. "It's a huge challenge for most artists, who are here, after all, to create music," he said.
During the same podcast conversation, Blige also discussed her decision not to have children. She said that when she was younger, she saw family members struggling without freedom because they needed babysitters, which shaped her early choice. However, she said her perspective shifted as she got older and she began to see the value children brought to her family members' lives.
