Mary J. Blige: the new diva on 'VH1 Storytellers'

BY GLENN GAMBOA | glenn.gamboa@newsday.com

February 25, 2008

Mary J Blige at the Hammerstein Ballroom for a tape session for VH1's "Storytellers." (Credit Â©FilmaMagic / VH1, Courtesy of VH1 / February 25, 2008)

Divas - even the modern-day, non-operatic versions - used to project an aura of invincibility.

Nothing could stop a diva from getting what she wanted or deserved. Not a man, not a company, not an audience. Nothing. Previously, all any diva had to do was unleash her powerful voice and every obstacle would seemingly fall by the wayside.

But times have changed, as have public perceptions of divas, who now appear to be in a state of flux, as Whitney, Mariah and so many others seem to be constantly on the way up or down. (Even Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul herself, recently had to issue a statement after the Grammys, reasserting her reign over her kingdom, surprised that anyone would dare challenge her.)

In this age of celebrities-they're-just-like-us, the time is right for a new type of diva, one who has the vocal prowess, but also some humility, some vulnerability and an appreciation of the fans' role in her success.

A new kind of diva

The time is right for Diva 2.0. And Mary J. Blige is the perfect prototype, which may explain why she is the most powerful diva of the moment, with her recent album "Growing Pains" topping the charts and her announcement of a headlining tour of arenas with Jay-Z. (Apologies to Miss Franklin.)

At a recent taping of "VH1 Storytellers" at Hammerstein Ballroom, Blige was in full Diva 2.0 glory, dominant in her performance with a full eight-piece band, an eight-piece string section and three backing singers, but humble and grateful as well.

"When I put the record out, my fan base stepped up and said, 'We feel you Mary,'" she said, explaining her single, which spent nine weeks at No. 1. "I was a little nervous about 'Be Without You' because all I hear is 'I like Mary better miserable,' But I had to take a stand for something else, or I was gonna fall for everything."

Blige's Hammerstein performance came only days after allegations that she was one of several high-profile hip-hop and R&B stars that had used steroids, allegations she has since denied. But she made no mention of the reports at the Hammerstein, instead talking about how people will always try to bring you down - not just celebrities, but anyone who tries to do something positive.

Rather than get bogged down in it, Blige advised her fans to focus on the positive instead. She explained how her new single "Just Fine" came from "a hopeful place."

"We really really wish one day that our entire life could be just fine, but it's not going to happen that way because we're people on planet Earth," she said. "So if you have, for Mary J. Blige, anyway, if I have one good day, two good days, I have to really recognize that that day is just fine 'cause it's negativity 24/7.... It's about really uplifting yourself and having hope for your future whatever your future is."

Throughout the concert, which debuts tonight on VH1, Blige revealed all sorts of personal things about herself, how she has been mistakenly jealous, how she was worried after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that she might die, how she took great inspiration from Anita Baker and how she still takes inspiration from her fans.

"Y'all feel me on that?" she asked after delivering "Hurt Again." "I love y'all too. That's why I do what I do. It ain't easy telling people so much stuff, but I love you, and that's why I do it." However, though she does bring to life the more gracious qualities of the Diva 2.0. There was no mistaking that Blige is as accomplished as any old-school diva.

Live Hammerstein show

Her show at Hammerstein Ballroom was live. She walked onto the stage and knocked the performance out of the park, doing the set only once, with no re-shoots or retakes, which is rare for any taped television show, much less a concert.

The centerpiece of her set was the song that has become her anthem, "No More Drama," which she performed like she was in the midst of an exorcism, with flailing arms and vocal gymnastics designed to release her demons before settling on the line "I need peace of mind."

"Ever since I was a kid growing up in the projects, there was always something jumping off," the Yonkers native explained. "Every time you walked out your building, you had to worry about whether you had to fight somebody who was having a harder time than you in your life, somebody that was just more miserable than you are.

"By the time I was an adult, all of this stuff followed me into my career," Blige continued. "That's when I realized that I was carrying this stuff around and collecting those people who were like me. When I realized I was my own worst enemy, it was like 'Whoa!' ... And by the grace of God, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote me this record. It was like they was looking into my life."

Blige summed up the evening by telling one fan, "It ain't easy."

That may be true, but as the best example of the new breed of diva, Blige certainly makes it look like it is.

"VH1 Storytellers: Mary J. Blige" debuts tonight on VH1 and VH1 Soul at 8.

It is also available athttp://storytellers.vh1.com.