Music

Mary J. Blige Was a Powerful Mentor to Ella Mai

Mary J. Blige made a name for herself as a musician in the early 1990s. In the years since then, the 'Real Love' singer has inspired many artists, including singer Ella Mai. Blige even acted as a mentor to her.

by Chris Malone

Published on June 6, 2022

2 min read

Ella Mai has been a Mary J. Blige fan since she was young

Mai opened up about her appreciation for Blige in a 2022 interview with HipHopDX.

“Mary is one of my all-time favorites,” Mai said. “She’s been a part of my life since I was very, very young, so when I was putting the album together I wanted somebody else to tell this story for me as opposed to me telling it through the music. I wanted someone to guide me almost, and there’s nobody else I want to guide me if I’m speaking about love.”

“When I think about that and my musical inspirations, it’s Mary J. Blige,” she added. “She came into the studio where all we did was have a conversation and I played her some of the records, and she told me how much she loved it and how incredible it was.”

Blige appeared on two tracks on Mai’s sophomore album Heart on My Sleeve: “Not Another Love Song” and “Sink or Swim.” But Blige doesn’t contribute any vocals; instead, she gives Mai spoken advice about the difficulties of life.

Ella Mai, who has been mentored by Mary J. Blige, on a rainbow background

Ella Mai | Xavi Torrent/Getty Images for Pandora

Mary J. Blige was a mentor to Ella Mai

Blige has become a good friend and mentor to Mai. The “Real Love” singer brought Mai as a special guest at Blige’s Strength of a Woman festival and summit in Atlanta in May 2022.

Mai didn’t go so far as to say that she would carry on Blige’s torch in music, but she did express just how much Blige’s legacy means. “I’ve had so many conversations with her and have learned a lot,” she said. “When I played her the album, she explained how it seemed like I had been through some s***.”

“She told me, ‘Listen, it’s life, and it is what it is.’ We all know Mary’s story because she’s been very, very honest with everything. If there’s one person I’ll always take advice from, it’s her,” she continued. “If the torch is being passed down, I don’t want to put words out there, but if so I’m honored.”

‘Heart on My Sleeve’ was a vulnerable album for Mai to make

Creating her album Heart on My Sleeve was a daunting task for Mai to complete, given the wild success of her debut album and its singles “Boo’d Up” and “Trip.”

“I was going into the studio and literally making exactly what I felt like on that day, and that was the first time I kind of was doing that,” she told HipHopDX. “As scary as that is because it’s a lot more vulnerable, I felt like it just really conveyed a lot more emotion and I feel like people will feel a lot more connected to me, as opposed to what they did before.”

“I’m so much more sure of myself now and I know how I want to articulate myself.”