Legendary R&B singer Mary J. Blige gave a riveting performance at the 90th Academy Awards last night. Before hitting the stage Taraji P. Henson introduced MJB’s performance of “Mighty River” and described the song as a depiction of “the pain of life.” The song is the anthem Blige recorded for the movie Mudbound. The musical recording was nominated for Best Original Song at last night’s awards but lost to “Remember Me” from Disney’s animated film Coco.

Despite the revelation that it cost Blige money to maintain her role in Mudbound, the Yonkers native also starred in the film. Last night, she made history by becoming the first person to earn nominations in the acting and song categories in the same year.

Watch her moving performance below.