英語名人堂：瑪麗·布萊姬
1992年，Mary J. Blige分布第一張個人唱片《What's the 411?》。1996年憑借歌曲“I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By”和Method Man一起獲得了第38屆格萊美最佳說唱組合獎。2005年歲末，Hip-Hop Soul天后Mary J. Blige發(fā)行了第7張個人專輯《The Breakthrough》。新專輯《Stronger》也于2009年12月15日發(fā)行。而Mary J. Blige還將客串擔(dān)任2010年《美國偶像》的評委。[1]
Mary Jane Blige is a singer, rapper, songwriter and actress. She is widely known as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" for mixing the two musical genres together. Blige has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has won eight Grammy awards. She also has a World Music Legends Award, despite her young age. Her musical style has influenced many other female vocalists, including Alicia Keys and Ashanti.
Blige was born in 1971 in New York. She grew up listening to the new sounds of hip-hop and rap that were starting to come out of New York. She also loved her mother’s collection of 60s and 70s soul records. She won a talent competition when she was seven and decided she wanted to be a singer.
Blige improved her singing technique in the local church choir. In 1988, she recorded an AnitaBaker song at a recording booth in a local mall. Her mother's friend loved it and sent it to a recording company executive, who signed Blige instantly. She spent several years as a backup singer, before releasing her debut album in 1992.
Blige has recorded eight studio albums, including the highly successful ‘The Breakthrough’, for which she scooped many awards. She also branched out into acting and has appeared in television series, Broadway plays and movies. Blige is also actively involved in several charities and started the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, “to inspire women from all walks of life to reach their individual potential.”
