Back in April, Mary J. Blige released her latest album Strength of a Woman. Though it’s no secret that her greatest material derives from tragedy and heartbreak, it continues to resonate with old and new fans alike while doubling as a therapeutic outlet for the singer herself.
Currently going through a very public (and very messy) divorce from Kendu Issacs, Mary J was recently hit with a 30,000 monthly fee in spousal support. So despite having named the album prior to her divorce, the life-altering event did call for some rewriting.
“Sometimes I have dark days, sometimes I have light days,” Blige stated during a recent interview with 105.1’s Angie Martinez. “I’m having dark moments. I’m just going through it right now but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what the album represents… I’m indestructible. I’m not going to let this destroy me. I’m going to keep people around me that make me smile.”
Following up the lead singles “Glow Up,“ “Thick of It,” “U + Me (Love Lesson),” and “Love Yourself,” Mary J released the visual for the title track, “Strength of a Woman” and featured the cast of TNT’s newest series, Claws, which follows the lives of 5 manicurists working at a nail salon in Florida. “The inspiration for ‘Strength of a Woman’ came from my life. It came from some very heavy trials and hardships through my life that I had to come through,” shared Mary. “There are a lot of similar themes in the show ‘Claws’. They’re in some heavy, sticky, nasty situations but that is what survival is about.“
Check out the video below and tune into Claws every Sunday on TNT at 9 pm.
