Ain't no party like a Mary J. Blige party! The music icon did not disappoint 2023 GRAMMY Awards with her performance on Sunday night.
Blige hit the stage in a style all her own, sporting a large black hat and head-to-toe sequins. And for fans who didn't think she could outdo her Super Bowl Halftime performance, think again! The legend gave a spirited performance of "Good Morning Gorgeous," and nailed all the chords -- and Twitter took notice.
"Mary J. Blige still making excellent music this far in y'all. That's my momma," one fan tweeted.
"Yo let’s really appreciate Mary J. Blige’s career. It is 2023 and she’s at the #GRAMMYs performing NEW music. That’s not small, a living legend," another fan wrote.
The nine-time GRAMMY winner was nominated for six awards this year, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best R&B Performance. She went up against some of music's biggest names, like the legend she is.
Prior to her show-stopping performance, Blige spoke with ET on the GRAMMYs red carpet about what her Good Morning Gorgeous album meant to her.
"It was something that I had to say to myself when I was in a very dark situation to move myself away from the lies that were being told to me and uplift me. I had to believe in something that was way more powerful than what I believed about myself and manifest it in my heart and in my life and it made me see myself as a pretty good person, you know?" she explained. "So, it's not just about vanity but it's how it manifested me seeing who I truly was, who I truly am."
Blige has been getting her flowers over the last year -- in May, the singer accepted the coveted ICON Award at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. She is one of only 11 other artists to receive the honor.
While accepting her award, presented by Janet Jackson, Blige reflected on the status of an "icon" in culture, and the public perception of artists deemed icons.
"The way the world is now, I think people think icons are born that way, that they become a legend overnight, but that is definitely not the case," she shared. "It takes a lot of time, hard work, and a lot of surviving, trial and error, to achieve greatness."
"What an icon means to me is overcoming obstacles to accomplish the unthinkable and be wildly admired for having influence over a multitude of people, and that is what I've always represented," she continued. "I've been on this journey for a long time. One that didn't always look the way you see me now. One that was filled with a lot of heartache and pain. But God helped me to channel those experiences and emotions into my music."
"I was ghetto fabulous and I still am! So ghetto, so fabulous, and people were threatened by that. And now everybody want to be ghetto fabulous," Blige explained. "The message of my music has always been that we are not alone in our struggles and I'm not alone now. For so long I was searching for real love, but I finally found my real love -- and that real love is me."
The 2023 GRAMMY Awards are being broadcast and streamed live on CBS and Paramount+. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from music's biggest night, including performances, GRAMMY winners and more.
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