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Mary J. Blige is celebrating Women’s History Month with some big news. On March 8, the nine-time Grammy Award-winner took to Instagram to announce the date of her second annual Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit.
The exciting event will take place at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena May 11-14. And this year, fans are in for a treat! The upcoming festival and event, that’s in partnership with Live Nation Urban, will kick off with a special performance from Grammy Award-winning pianist Robert Glasper, according to Variety.
Mary J. Blige will also headline the festival alongside a star-studded group of R&B giants including Summer Walker, Lucky Daye, Muni Long and the legendary Ms. Lauryn Hill. Additionally, the event will include a #HipHop50 tribute hosted by Kenny Burns. On Instagram, Blige, 52, hinted that she would be performing a “never before seen” MJB set during the exciting tribute.
Packed in between the festival, attendees will get the chance to hear from several industry leaders that will hold panels on topics ranging from music and wellness to beauty and financial literacy. Comedy specials and a gospel brunch will also be included in the event festivities.
The festival will close out Sunday night with a “Purpose Ball” aimed at celebrating the musical contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community and their impact on the entertainment industry. Rapper Saucy Santana will rev up the heat onstage during the exciting event.
Mary J. Blige hopes to empower young women of color with her annual festival
In 2022, Blige launched the first annual Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit as a way to empower young women of color to dream big and to uplift the BIPOC community.
“I’m so excited to bring our Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit back to Atlanta for its second year,” Blige said in a statement, according to a press release.
“Having the opportunity to continue to uplift, inspire, and build amongst a community of women is the reason why we created this festival. I’m so grateful for all of the support from our performers and participants and of course Live Nation Urban, Pepsi and our additional partners who are committed to celebrating and creating community for Black women.”
This year, Blige has teamed up with industry pioneers Nicole Jackson, VP of MJB Inc., and Ashaunna Ayars of the Ayars Agency, to curate the exciting performances and panels throughout the festival.
“The popularity and impact of the inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit successfully showed how and why Black women are the blueprint for cultural relevancy and inclusion,” Jackson said of the event’s significance.
“Being able to look back and see the global reach the festival had through our live stream and billions of media impressions is confirmation that we are filling a void in the festival space. Mary, Ashaunna and myself are overjoyed to be back in Atlanta again and look forward to continued expansion in our programming and partnerships,” she added.
General sale tickets for the fest will go live today. For more details, visit www.soawfestival.com.
Mary J. Blige hasn’t let her foot off the gas in 2023. In February, the decorated singer was nominated for five Grammys: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best R&B Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Song.
The “No More Drama” hitmaker did not win this year. But the star gave one hell of a standout performance of her hit song “Good Morning Gorgeous” onstage at the coveted ceremony. The R&B smash is the title track from her critically acclaimed 14th studio album which dropped back in February 2022.
Mary J. Blige has won nine Grammys throughout her incredible career. She earned her first trophy in 1996, for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, thanks to her hit “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By” alongside Method Man. She last won a Grammy in 2009 for Growing Pains, which scored a win in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category.
Congrats to Mary J. Blige, a true leader, activist and queen!
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