For nearly three decades Mary J. Blige has been entertaining us in music, movies, and even on the small screen. When the first annual ESSENCE Festival (referred to as ESSENCE Fest back then) kicked off, Mary J. Blige had just released her sophomore album, My Life, which skyrocketed her to Queen of R&B fame. And in the almost 25 years that Festival has been held, the multi-platinum award winning singer has participated in several—dating all the way back to that very first one when she took the stage in an evening show. In those years we’ve seen some of Mary’s greatest moments.
We’ve been there for the breakdowns and the breakthroughs, we’ve seen her life in the sunshine, and we’ve seen it when it was going down. We were there during her struggles with addiction and bad relationships; we watched her find love and create a family affair, and we watched as that family dissolved (we won’t even go there). We’ve seen her rise and fall and rise again. She has evolved and changed and grown right before our eyes. Through those years one thing that remained constant is her undeniable charm and inner beauty that radiates.
In her current role as Cha Cha, a time traveling assassin on the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy, she reminds us why we love to see her perform. With a tour with Nas on the books for the summer, a new single out called “Thriving,” and murmurings of an album akin to a My Life sequel, fans are bursting with elation, as there’s never a thing as too much Mary. So, as we draw closer to this year’s monumental 25th anniversary of ESSENCE Festival, where she’ll be headlining once again, we look back at some of Ms. Blige’s show stopping beauty looks that made us sing about why we never want to be without her.
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Billboard Music Awards - 1995
247830 12: R&B singer Mary J. Blige stands at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards December 6, 1995 in New York City. The awards honor the year's number one musical artists, albums, and songs as determined by the record-buying audience and radio airplay statistics. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Liaison)
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38th Annual Grammy Awards - 1996
Mary J. Blige during Tony Bennet at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
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Share My World Album Shoot - 1997
Kevin Westenberg
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Lady of Soul Awards - 1998
Mary J. Blige at the 1998 Lady of Soul Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
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MTV Europe Music Awards - 1999
Mary J. Blige le 11 novembre 1999 à Dublin, Irlande. (Photo by Eric CATARINA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
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14th Annual Soul Train Music Awards - 2000
Mary J. Blige (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)
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Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - 2001
Mary J. Blige during The 7th Annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - Arrivals at Bryant Park in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by J. Vespa/WireImage)
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MTV Video Music Awards - 2002
NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: American singer/musician Mary J. Blige arrives at the MTv video music awards 2002 at the Radio City Music Hall on August 29, 2002 in New York. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)
Mary J Blige during 2003 VIBE Awards - Arrivals at Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California, United States. (Photo by Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage)
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Person of the Year Tribute to Sting - 2004
CULVER CITY, CA - FEBRUARY 6: Singer Mary J. Blige attends The Musicares 2004 Person of the Year Tribute to Sting at Sony Studios in Culver City, California. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
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The Breakthrough Album Art - 2005
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American Music Awards - 2006
Mary J. Blige during 2006 American Music Awards - Arrivals at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
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American Music Awards - 2007
Singer Mary J. Blige arrives to the 2007 American Music Awards at the Nokia Theatre on November 18, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
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Cannes Film Festival amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS - 2008
Singer Mary J. Blige arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2008 benefit held at Le Moulin de Mougins during the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2008 in Mougins, France. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/WireImage)
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American Music Awards - 2009
Mary J. Blige attends the 2009 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
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US Weekly's 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers - 2010
NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 15: Singer Mary J. Blige attends US Weekly's 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers at Lavo on September 15, 2010 in New York, New York. (Photo by Henry S. Dziekan III/WireImage)
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VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul - 2011
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 18: Singer Mary J. Blige attends 2011 VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul at the Hammerstein Ballroom on December 18, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)
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"Rock Of Ages" L.A. Premiere - 2012
HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 08: Actress/singer Mary J. Blige arrives at the 'Rock of Ages' Los Angeles premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on June 8, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)
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The Grove's 11th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Spectacular - 2013
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 17: Recording Artist Mary J. Blige attends The Grove's 11th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Spectacular at The Grove on November 17, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
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Ferrari's 60th Anniversary In The USA Gala - 2014
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 11: Recording Artist Mary J. Blige attends Ferrari's 60th Anniversary In The USA Gala at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on October 11, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
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The Wiz Live! - Season 2015
THE WIZ LIVE! -- Season: 2015 -- Pictured: Mary J. Blige as Evillene -- (Photo by: Paul Gilmore/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
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Saks Downtown x Vogue Event - 2016
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 08: Recording artist Mary J. Blige attends the Saks Downtown x Vogue event held at Saks Downtown on September 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Brent N. Clarke/FilmMagic)
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Metropolitan Museum Of Art Costume Institute Gala - 2017
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Mary J. Blige attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic)
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Tiffany & Co. Celebrates Tiffany Blue Book Collection - 2018
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 09: Mary J. Blige attends Tiffany & Co. Celebrates 2018 Tiffany Blue Book Collection, THE FOUR SEASONS OF TIFFANY at Studio 525 on October 9, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.)
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EE British Academy Film Awards - 2019
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 10: Mary J. Blige poses in the press room during the EE British Academy Film Awards at Royal Albert Hall on February 10, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
TOPICS: Beauty Hair Makeup 2019 essence festival essence fest essence festival Mary J. Blige Red Carpet Beauty
