Mary J Blige: New Tour, New Album & New LOVE

Retirement won’t happen any time soon for Mary J Blige. Her sights are set on all things NEW – the new tour, new album and her new love.

Mary J. Blige silenced all the murmurs surrounding her retirement during a recent appearance on “Sherri” – the Sherri Shepherd daytime talk show.” Though there was a time Blige seriously considered hanging up the microphone and tossing her Giuseppe concert-wearing- boots to the side, she explained how it came from a place of exhaustion.

“I was getting tired,” Blige laughingly revealed. “You know some days you have days where you’re just exhausted and you’re like, I don’t know, I’m just tired. But when I said it my fans was like ‘wait No! Don’t do it.’ ”

Just a few short months ago Mary J Blige shared those same sentiments with the Source. The “My Life” singer described what her days as a retiree would look like.

“Retirement looks like traveling the world, going to places I never been before,” she told the Source. “Relaxing on yachts, in home, and enjoying the fruits of my labor.”

Thankfully, retirement won’t be happening any time soon for Mary. Or at least “not yet,” the ‘Mary Can’ author told Sherri. Mary still has a lot more “Breathing” to do and so much more she wants to give her fans.

 Mary J Blige Concert: For My Fans Tour

Mary didn’t show up to the Sherri set empty handed. The 53-year-old came fully prepared to distribute to Sherri and the audience full of fans. Though Sherri walked away with a shiny new pair of Giuseppe Zanotti “The Mary Boot,” the fans received the best gift of the day – two big announcements and the ”big, big one” has their name written all over it.

“I’m going on tour in January,” Blige revealed. “The name of the tour is called “The For My Fans Tour.” So, if you are a Mary J Blige fan, this is for you.”

Mary J. Blige has a slew of day-one-fans who can’t wait to see her to take the stage in January and perform timeless hits like “Real Love,” “Just Fine,” “No More Drama” and other singles; especially those from her sophomore album, “My Life” which Mary noted as one of her personal favorites.

“It’s one of my favorite albums because of how I recovered,” she stated. “It doesn’t trigger me anymore in a negative way it triggers me in a way where I can heal from it, where I’ve grown from it. So, it’s not like I’m crying because the album is so sad, I’m crying because I recovered. You know it’s happy tears.”

Mary J Blige is not the only one who has experienced healing through the years. Her music has also provided a path to healing for her fans since the release of her debut album “What’s the 411,” released over thirty years ago in 1992. The album was the catalyst to longevity and success for the Bronx, NY native, and scored her very first Billboard 200 top ten album. And it’s only been up from there.

The singer’s new single “Breathing” featuring Brooklyn rapper Fabolous has been holding a top ten spot on the Billboard Adult R&B airplay chart for 5 weeks, currently seated at number 4, as of the week of September 28.  Though it was never her plan, Mary’s music, from then and now, has served as a personal journal, documenting her growth; her glow and the years of going through “hell” yet still finding peace.

“It’s not the way I wanted it to be I just didn’t have a choice, and music was my therapy” she told Sherri. “It was how I healed and how I got through my own stuff, you know, I think I’m here to this day because of me expressing myself through music because I was going through so much Hell that I had to put it somewhere.  And then when my good times showed up, I had to express that as well so…it was just a way of healing.”

Mary J Blige New Album

Now, Mary’s at a place in her life where she wants her music to show her gratitude and help others heal. In fact, that was the inspiration behind her second big announcement on the Sherri show – a new album titled, “Gratitude.” The new music will express just how grateful Mary is for everything life has offered that has positioned her to feel good and to find love.

“Look at my life right now, I’m in a constant state of gratitude,” she said. “I feel good. I have jobs and opportunities. I’m healthy. My family’s healthy. I have people around that care for me and love me. And I have amazing fans.” The love and support from fans has sustained Blige’s career since the beginning and the tour and album is her way of reciprocating that love.

Who is Mary J Blige Dating?

Mary J Blige has been receiving love from more than just her circle of girl friends, family and fans. During the Sherri interview Blige revealed “yes,” there’s someone special in her life that apparently “everyone knows” about except us here a UACO and it’s “going well.”

“It’s going well because I’m doing well for myself,” the “Still Believe in Love” singer revealed. “I feel good about me. I look good to me. I feel good to me. I’m embracing me so, when you embrace you everything is embracing you.”

We love that for Mary J Blige but, can we put a name and a face to whom that someone-special-embracing-you might be?

Nevertheless, happiness looks so good on Mary J. Blige. Despite the rocky divorce and past hurts, Blige has mastered the art of forgiving and moving forward.

“What I learned was that forgiveness was for me…the hell with them,” Blige stated. ” I don’t like that ugly bitter feeling because it’s not mine. That belongs to you. You did what you did but I have to move on. And in order for me to feel good and manifest all of the good things in my life, I have to let you go for me, not for you.”

We love the glow up from Mary J Blige and looking forward to “The For My Fans Tour” with Ne-Yo and Mario. And we can’t wait for the new album, “Gratitude,” available as of November 15.

Sherri interview below.