Mary J. Blige On Her ‘Power’ Character, ‘Queenpin’ Monet: I Still Have Girlfriends That Are Like Her

Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige On Her ‘Power’ Character, ‘Queenpin’ Monet: I Still Have Girlfriends That Are Like Her

Entertainment icon, Mary J. Blige recently opened up, sharing some insight into her life, how she’s handled this pandemic, and her new “Power Book II: Ghost” character Monet. 

The singer turned actress recently explained to Health magazine that her gift of singing wasn’t at all about dreaming big to become a big star, instead, a mere tactic of “survival” with growing up in the harsh projects of the Bronx in New York.

She stated,

“I didn’t have big dreams and goals. I think because of the environment we lived in, it was hard to dream.”

Acknowledging that people would “hurt” you if you dreamed or smiled too much, she continued,

“But I was a singer, and people would always ask me to sing. I didn’t know that it was going to become this. I just thought God gave me a gift to survive, and that was my survival tactic, to sing. I would feel better about my environment; I would feel better about how we were living. I would feel better about everything if I just sang.”

Singing was just the entry for what would lead to a life’s time worth of adoration from millions of fans of her music, and now, her acting portrayals.

In 2018, Mary J. Blige made history as the first double Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Mudbound), and Original Song (“Mighty River”).  Now, fans look forward to her role play out as Monet in the Power series spinoff, Power Book II: Ghost, created by Courtney Kemp.

Mary J. Blige states,

“I’m probably one of the biggest fans of [the first series] Power. And I’m a huge fan of [the producers] Courtney [Kemp] and 50 Cent and how they painted a picture of what we saw growing up as kids living in the projects. I still have girlfriends that are like Monet. Monet is a queenpin. So what made me want to take on that role is knowing those women and knowing that I’m actually one of those women because they’re not just drug dealers—they’re women trying to save their children. So I respect the role of Monet because there’s a lot of women out there just like that.”

As of now, Mary J. Blige, who also expressed being affected with “emotion, outrage, and anger” by racism and the killing of George Floyd, is taking full advantage of spending quality time with herself during the pandemic.

George Floyd

She professed,

“I’m going to take away a real appreciation of this me time.”

The “Share My World” singer concluded,

“I don’t think any of us realized how fast we had been moving. I really appreciate this rest and this silence, so that I can hear more clearly what’s going on. When you’re by yourself, you’re either going to be your own best friend and be honest and real with yourself, or you’re going to be your own worst enemy and deceive yourself. It’s been so clear to me that I am my best friend.”

What do you think of Mary J. Blige’s insights into her life?  Share your thoughts below.