Mary J. Blige

Iconic Grammy and Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated artist, actress, producer and entrepreneur Mary J. Blige is a figure of inspiration, transformation and empowerment. With a track record of eight multi-platinum albums, nine Grammy Awards (37 nominations), an Emmy award, two Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations and a SAG nomination, Blige has cemented herself as a global superstar.

 

Influenced at an early age by the music of Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight, Blige brought her own gritty, urban-rooted style—fusing hip-hop, soul, and honest, frank lyrics—to the forefront on her 1992 debut album What’s the 411? Blige continued to redefine R&B and began forging a unique niche for herself on her second album, 1994’s My Life.

 

Each subsequent album she released reads like a chapter from an autobiography leading to February 2022, when Blige released Good Morning Gorgeous, which has since earned her six 2023 Grammy nominations including Album and Record of the Year. The album release led into a historic performance at the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. Her performance earned her a 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live).

 

On the acting side, Blige starred as Florence Jackson in the 2017 Netflix breakout film Mudbound, to which she received critical acclaim including two Academy Award nominations for Best Support Actress and Best Original Song. She became the first person ever to be nominated in an acting and song category for the same film. Among many other credits, Blige is currently starring in STARZ’s POWER BOOK II: GHOST. The fourth and final season is currently airing on Starz and continues to break records for the network.

 

On the producing side, Blige launched her production company, Blue Butterfly and signed a first-look TV deal with Lionsgate. Blige also signed a first-look non-scripted deal and a second-look scripted deal with BET. In 2021, Blige worked with Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth and Amazon on her documentary Mary J. Blige's My Life celebrating the 25^th anniversary of her famed album My Life, of which she was the focus and EP. Following her 2023 Lifetime films “Real Love” and “Strength of a Woman,” Blige has signed on to executive produce multiple new projects for Lifetime, beginning with “Family Affair” (working title) coming in 2025.

 

ABOUT NE-YO 

NE-YO is a three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning R&B hitmaker, iconic songwriter, actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose illustrious catalog has generated a combined total of 23 billion streams worldwide. 

  

His debut single, 2005’s “So Sick,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified quadruple-platinum. Since then, the Motown Records/Compound Entertainment recording artist has racked up a collection of global hits including “Sexy Love,” “Closer,” “Because of You,” “Miss Independent” and “Push Back” [feat. Bebe Rexha and Stefflon Don].”  

  

Additionally, NE-YO has proven to be as powerful with his pen as he is in the recording studio and on stage, penning bangers like Rihanna’s “Unfaithful,” “Russian Roulette” and “Take a Bow,” along with Beyoncé’s 2006 breakup anthem “Irreplaceable” and songs for such artists as Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion and Mario among others.  

  

The multihyphenate has also leveraged his platform as a musician to pivot into acting. His film and television credits include NBC’s World of Dance, Netflix’s Dance Monsters, Empire, Stomp the Yard, Save the Last Dance, Battle: Los Angeles, George Lucas' Red Tails, The Wiz Live!, Starz’ Step Up: High Water, Hip Hop Family Christmas Wedding and The Sound of Christmas. He starred in the latest season of 50 Cent’s acclaimed drama series BMF on STARZ. 

 

ABOUT MARIO

Mario is a GRAMMY-nominated, platinum-selling R&B singer, songwriter and hitmaker hailing from Baltimore, MD. A dominant 2000s run, which began after the church-bred singer was signed by Clive Davis to J Records during his teenage years, included Top 5 hit “Just A Friend” and “Let Me Love You,” the generation-defining serenade that spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning the singer widespread acclaim. Mario’s subsequent album, Turning Point, generated a ‘Best Contemporary R&B Album’ GRAMMY nomination as well as two Billboard Awards and is part of a robust catalog that includes four debuts inside the Top 5 of Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, beginning with his gold-certified debut, Mario.

 

Mario’s hit-making prowess and status as a superior vocal performer led to a spot on Billboard’s ‘Artist of the Decade’ list. His expanded entertainment profile includes an independent label, New Citizen, launched in 2016 and a slew of marquee acting appearances, including major roles in blockbuster films and shows Step Up, Freedom Writers and Empire. Mario will make his film production debut this holiday season, when his New Citizen-produced Christmas film, Style Me For Christmas, airs on BET.

 

This December, Mario releases his sixth studio album as part of his new deal with Epic Records, marking his first solo LP since 2018. Glad You Came, is executive-produced largely by James Fauntleroy, who worked for over a year on the project in-studio with Mario.