Mary J. Blige is one busy lady. Not only has Blige recently launched her own YouTube Channel, but she was also just nominated for 2 Grammy Awards –
*Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.) - “Just Fine”
- Mary J. Blige
*Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only) - “Disrespectful” - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
And this news comes as the hip hop R&B soul singer, Mary J. Blige gets ready to release the follow-up the most successful album of her career, the triple platinum The Breakthrough, with her eighth studio CD “Growing Pains” (Geffen Records) on December 18.
Always one to get her message across loud, clear, Mary doesn’t disappoint with the first release off her new CD “Growing Pains” – “Just Fine.” The up-tempo single “Just Fine” displays Blige’s newfound spirit and has already become an instant hit on radio and MTV, BET and VH-1.
The track “Just Fine” was produced by Tricky Stewart and co-written by Mary the Dream. Jazze Pha and Tricky and Dream are the duo behind Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” And Blige said that the splashy hit was almost hers.
In a recent interview to MTV Blige said: “They did the song for me, and it was during the Grammy time and I was really, really busy, and I heard it, and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, that’s a smash. I love this song.’ And it was like, ‘It’s yours.’ So in the midst of it being mine, they were probably telling [Rihanna] it was hers.”
But in typical Mary style there is said to be no hard feelings between the R&B veteran and the fast-rising newcomer. “She’s such a beautiful lady, and I love her to death,” Mary J. said of Rihanna. “I was so glad that she caught it and knocked it out of the park, and it’s still one of my favorite songs to date.”
Mary spoke to the press about her new CD stating: “Growing Pains represents accepting that there’s pain that goes along with growing and change. “They’re going to get a sense of what my state of mind is and how I view the world,” she says. “And hopefully, most of all, they’re going to hear just the sincere honesty and love that I have for them. No pain, no gain. “
Growing Pains, features guest appearances by Ludacris and Usher and production by The Neptunes, Jazze Pha, Johnta Austin, Neyo, Stargate, Bryan-Michael Cox, Dre and Vidal, Tricky, Dream, and Sean Garrett.
Logging on Blige’s YouTube Channel (maryjtv), fans can watch behind the scenes footage of “Just Fine” and have a look at a video in which Blige talks about the meaning behind “Growing Pains”. For those Mary J. NYC fans you can have your chance to meet the superstar, Ms. Blige, as she signs copies of her new CD “Growing Pains” at Best Buy (529 5th Avenue / 44th & 5th Avenue) on Wednesday December 19 at 8pm.