{"id":19555,"date":"2022-05-24T10:26:45","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T14:26:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=19555"},"modified":"2022-05-24T10:26:45","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T14:26:45","slug":"mary-j-blige-praised-god-during-icon-award-acceptance-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2022\/05\/mary-j-blige-praised-god-during-icon-award-acceptance-speech.html","title":{"rendered":"Mary J. Blige Praised God During Icon Award Acceptance Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grammy Award-winning singer Mary J. Blige was awarded the Icon Award at the 2022 Billboard Awards and credited God with helping her channel her life\u2019s pain into her music. Blige, known as the \u201cqueen of hip-hop soul\u201d in the music industry, was presented the high honor by Janet Jackson. Jackson said, \u201cMary J. Blige represents the truth,\u201d before handing her the award. \u201cHer work has always given us comfort because it represents me, and it represents you,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

Dressed in a revealing gown, Blige was escorted by Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs to the MGM Grand Arena stage in Las Vegas to give her acceptance speech. \u201cI\u2019m in a dream right now. Thank you so much,\u201d Blige declared at the top of her acceptance speech.\u00a0\u201cThe way the world is now, I think people think icons are born that way. They become a legend overnight. But that is definitely not the case,\u201d the New York native explained. \u201cIt takes a lot of time, hard work, and a lot of surviving trial and error to achieve greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blige defined an icon as someone who overcomes \u201cobstacles to accomplish the unthinkable.\u201d She continued: \u201cI\u2019ve been on this journey for a long time, one that didn\u2019t always look the way you see me now, one that is filled with a lot of heartache and pain. God helped me to channel those emotions and experiences into my music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mary<\/a>
YouTube: Screenshot\/NBC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe message of my music has always been that we are not alone in our struggles. And I\u2019m not alone now,\u201d Blige said. \u201cFor so long, I was searching for a real love, but I finally found my real love, and that real love is me.\u201d Blige ended her speech by thanking several people in her life, starting with a testimony to God. \u201cThere\u2019s no \u2018I\u2019 in team. So I want to thank everyone on my team for helping me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst up, my Almighty, My everything, my source, God,\u201d she declared. \u201cBecause without His love and protection and guidance, there\u2019s none of this!\u201d In 2020, Blige highlighted her faith when she teamed up with Queen Latifah and Missy Eliot to produce Lifetime\u2019s TV movie \u201cThe Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel,\u201d based on the lives of the legendary singing siblings.<\/p>\n

At a\u00a0news conference\u00a0for the film, Blige spoke of the impact the sisters (Jacky Cullum Chisholm, Denise \u201cNiecy\u201d Clark Bradford, Elbernita \u201cTwinkie\u201d Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard) had on her life.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve learned so much from them. They just have the anointing,\u201d Blige said. The icon award marked Blige\u2019s 11th Billboard Music Award. In 1995, she was given the album of the year award for\u00a0My Life<\/em>. She garnered nine trophies in 2006 for her\u00a0The Breakthrough <\/em>album.<\/p>\n

Ahead of winning this year\u2019s Billboard honor, Blige shared her gratitude in a statement shared by\u00a0People. \u201cMy career has been such an incredible and unexpected journey that has included many turns into avenues I never could have imagined like acting, producing, launching businesses, and now even my own music festival,\u201d Blige said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grammy Award-winning singer Mary J. Blige was awarded the Icon Award at the 2022 Billboard Awards and credited God with helping her channel her life\u2019s pain into her music. Blige, known as the \u201cqueen of hip-hop soul\u201d in the music industry, was presented the high honor by Janet Jackson. Jackson said, \u201cMary J. Blige represents…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":19561,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[3056,5158],"class_list":["post-19555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","category-entertainment","tag-billboard-music-awards","tag-mary-j-blige"],"yoast_head":"\nMary J. Blige Praised God During Icon Award Acceptance Speech<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Grammy Award-winning singer Mary J. 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