Mary J. Blige is not here for the think pieces, and she definitely isn’t apologizing for being human.
The R&B legend cleared the air in the most Mary way possible while sitting down with Angie Martinez on her podcast IRL, responding to fans who claimed she looked uninterested or low-energy during some tour performances.
Her explanation? Extremely simple. Extremely honest and of course relatable…
“I was exhausted… So for people to be like oh she look tired, I was f—king tired, I was,” Blige said, laughing as she broke it down.
Mary went on to make it clear that exhaustion doesn’t equal a lack of love for the stage or her fans. Touring is physically demanding, especially when you’ve been doing it at the highest level for decades. Night after night. City after city. Same passion, different energy levels.
And somehow, the internet decided to confuse fatigue with disinterest.
Still showing up. Still singing live. Still giving what she has, even when the tank isn’t full.
And she’s planning to give all of that energy as she recently announced her Las Vegas residency. She said earlier this month, “That’s major for me,” she told Craig Melvin live on TODAY. “Vegas is the big time.”
“Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story The Las Vegas Residency” is set to kick off May 1 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. There will be five shows in May and another five in July!