“When you know what pain is, and when you have to make a choice, you learn that it is a decision. People think it's a fairytale thing, love and happiness, but you have to work hard. And then - you feel it deeply.”

American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur

Mary J. Blige is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. She is widely known as the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” and the “Queen of R&B.” Her career has brought her major recognition across music and television, including nine Grammy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. She has also won four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, among them the Billboard Icon Award.