R&B icon Mary J. Blige will be taking part in an upcoming documentary titled Mary J. Blige's My Life that will explore the making of her 1994 record of the same name. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Blige laid bare some of the difficult childhood memories that fueled and inspired her creative output for the album.
In the trailer for the documentary, Blige likened her neighborhood environment to a prison-like atmosphere and indicated that her lyrical pen and writing skills was her only chance to get out of that area. She shared with Entertainment Tonight that it was "heavy" and difficult to revisit some of her childhood memories because it meant processing some of the hard times she went through and questioning why so much could happen to a little girl like her.
"To go back and actually show them where the pain came from, it was heavy, but it was nothing because those are my fans," Blige told ET about the documentary. "In order to do a My Life documentary, you have to go back and show people what happened, you know? Why it happened and where did all this pain come from?"
Blige also displayed empathy beyond herself, highlighting that while things were difficult for her upbringing as a child, it was equally as tough for her mother, who was raising her and her siblings all alone.
"Just speaking about all of that and how my mother was single and she was trying to raise us and she was being hurt. And she was in pain. And we all was in pain, but we were trying to survive without everyone knowing we were in pain," Blige said.
The singer underscored the fact that her troubled childhood only better prepared her for the amount of success she would receive as a songwriter and artist. Letting fans in on a more intimate time in her life is only a testament to the strong relationship she's built with them over the years.
Check out the trailer for the documentary below – it'll be available to stream on June 25th through Amazon Prime.
