Mary J. Blige’s alimony ‘pissed’ her off — so she created Strength of a Woman Festival

nypost.com:

Mary J. Blige, it was the pain in her pocketbook from her divorce drama — with ex-husband and former manager Kendu Isaacs — that inspired her 2017 LP “Strength of Woman.”“When I made that album, I was pissed off because I was paying alimony every day,” Blige, 53, told The Post. “I was I was in the middle of a terrible divorce.“But, you know, I always speak things into existence — even when I’m going through a bad time — and I had to speak strength into myself.

And so I named my album ‘Strength of a Woman’ while going through a daggone divorce and paying alimony.”And the “Family Affair” singer further turned her hateration into empowerment with her Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit, which takes over New York City on Mother’s Day weekend — with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul newly crowned as a 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee.“It’s extremely important for me to bring it home because this is where I was born and raised,” said the Yonkers, NY native. “This is where the movement started, you know?

I grew up around a bunch of women, and they were all single, and they were very strong. And, you know, there were trials and triumphs.

I’ve seen a lot here growing up.”And SOAW has already shown growth heading into its third annual edition — after two previous years in Atlanta. “I knew it was gonna be what we set out for it to be [in 2022],” said Blige. “And then we had the second year, and it kept getting bigger and bigger.