Posted by | Ray Cornelius

It’s no secret that some of today’s hottest musical artists have come out of the U.K. and who better to tap into that well of inspiration than the reigning queen of hip-hop soul, Mary J. Blige. The Grammy-winning singer has reportedly, joined forces with some of Britain’s hottest singers and producers for an upcoming project titled, Mary J. Blige: The London Sessions.

According to ThisIsRnB.com, Blige has been across the pond  for a little over a month, recording new tracks and collaborations with Sam Smith, Emeli Sandé, Disclosure and others for a new album that will be executive produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins. The exciting news was confirmed through an interview Blige had with The Guardian.

mary j blige 2“Our idea was to become part of London, to really embrace the culture – to really live in it. Not that I haven’t been here before, but I’ve never had the chance to really soak in it the way I have this time. To make records [“rekkits”] from the London-scene perspective.” What is that exactly? What does she think London has? “Freedom,” she says. “The music is free over here the way it used to be in the States. Artists are just free to do what they love. Listening to the radio you can hear the freedom. The music is living and breathing – you can hear that from Adele’s last album. It was massive – a big deal. But she did what she loved.”

Look for Mary J. Blige: The London Sessions  to drop this November on Capitol Records.

Photo Credits: Alex Lake and D’Andre Michael

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