I started speaking about what I was dealing with through my music, and 4 million women responded and said, 'Us too, Mary.' And I didn't know that everyone was hurting like I was hurting. I had no idea.
Interpretation
Mary J. Blige expresses the connection she found with women through her music, revealing shared struggles.
In this quote, Mary J. Blige reflects on her journey of using her music as a means to communicate her personal struggles. She highlights the powerful response from millions of women who resonated with her experiences, illustrating the universal nature of pain and the importance of vulnerability in art. The quote emphasizes how sharing one’s truth can create a profound sense of community and understanding among others who are facing similar challenges.
In practice
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of vulnerability in art.
When I was five years old I was molested and just, you know. I remember feeling, literally right before it happened, I just could not believe that this person was going to do this to me. That thing followed me all my life. The shame of thinking my molestation was my fault - it led me to believe I wasn't worth anything.
We are all spirits. We get depressed. But music makes you want to live. I know my music has saved my life.
I don't know. Only God knows where the story ends for me, but I know where the story begins. It's up to us to choose, whether we win or lose and I choose to win.
As a child I always wanted to be a singer. The music my mother played in the house moved me - Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Mahalia Jackson. It was truly spiritual. It made you understand what God was. We are all spirits. We get depressed. But music makes you want to live. I know my music has saved my life.
Really, every woman is an example to me, because as women we go through so much pain. We have to live this perfect life when we are messed up inside. We all go through trials and tribulations.
I've been praying to God to show me how to forgive myself. Because... maybe... that's the thing I've been searching for.
To this day, if I ever meet grownups who play ukulele, I love 'em.
That's what my music does for me. It makes people happy. When I play, I thank the Lord I've never seen someone walk away from a Dick Dale dance not having a good time. That's what it's all about.
A lot of people from my generation of music are so focused on playing things correctly or to perfection that they're stuck in that safe place.
Songs are funny things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells. I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history.
One of the reasons I believe in jazz is that the oneness of man can come through the rhythm of your heart. It’s the same anyplace in the world, that heartbeat. It’s the first thing you hear when you’re born — or before you’re born — and it’s the last thing you hear.
I listen to the radio and I like all kinds of music, you know, but I like to hear from people who have been there. Hank Williams has been there.
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