Mary J. Blige joins the list of artists who have taken a long pilgrimage overseas for musical inspiration. Her city of choice was London, and the result was Mary J Blige: The London Sessions, her upcoming album due in November.
During an interview with The Guardian, the “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” sat down to talk about her month-long trip abroad and what fans can expect from her next project.
“Our idea was to become part of London,” she said, “to really embrace the culture – to really live in it. Not that I haven’t been here before, but I’ve never had the chance to really soak in it the way I have this time.”
The songstress has actually been pulling inspiration from the UK for most of the year, collaborating with London-bred artists including Sam Smith and Disclosure in recent months.
“To make records from the London-scene perspective…The music is free over here the way it used to be in the States. Artists are just free to do what they love. Listening to the radio you can hear the freedom. The music is living and breathing.”
Read what else she had to say here.
