Mary J. Blige has announced that her 13th studio album, Strength of a Woman, will arrive on April 28th. Along with the release date, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul also revealed the set’s cover art, which we must say is very fitting as she is captured in royalty.
‘Strength of a Woman’ follows Blige’s 2014 effort, The London Sessions, and is headed by the singles “Thick of It” and “U + Me (Love Lesson).” The set will also feature contributions from Hit-Boy, DJ Camper, Jazmine Sullivan, and Kanye West, who appears on “Love Yourself.”
Judging from the singles released thus far, ‘Strength of a Woman’ will highlight Blige’s rollercoaster divorce from her estranged husband, Kendu Isaacs.
“Right now in my life, I need strength like yours, because I may look happy, but I’m going through some horrible stuff right now. It’s called divorce,” Blige said during a pre-Grammy event this past February.
Blige and Kendu broke it off after 12 years of marriage.
“The breaking point was when I kept asking over and over and over again for respect and to be respected,” Blige, 45, told ABC. “And it just seemed like I was beating a dead horse and it seemed like I was talking to a wall. I just wasn’t getting it back so if I can’t get respect in the relationship, then I have to move on and save myself. That was the point where I was like, ‘I’m done. I just can’t do it anymore.'”
