| Real Name: | Mary Jane Blige |
| Birthday: | January 11, 1971 |
| Net Worth | $20 million |
| Height: | 175 cm |
| Occupation: | American Singer/Songwriter, Actress, Philanthropist |
Mary J. Blige is a Grammy Award-winner. Famous for her deep R&B style, she is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She released her debut album What’s the 411 in 1992, and since then, her career took off. What big is Mary J. Blige’s wealth? And how she earned her money?
Mary has more than 10 albums, 8 of which reached platinum status. Her album and record sales earned her an asset estimate of more than $20 million.
Content Compass
Career Breakthrough
Mary J. Blige started her career following a high school dropout. She signed with Uptown Records and worked with record producer Sean Combs. You might know him by his stage name, P. Diddy.
Blige released her debut studio album What’s the 411 with Uptown Records and MCA Records in 1992. With songs like Real Love, You remind Me, Sweet Thing, the album was an instant success. The album sold more than 3 million copies, earning triple platinum status in the process. It peaked at No.6 on the Billboard 200.
She released her second album two years later, on November 29, 1994. Hit songs You Bring Me Joy, My Life, I’m Going Down marked the album. The album My Life sold more than three million copies, again earning triple platinum status.
Her third album is the most successful one. Called Share My World, the album peaked at No.1 on the US Chart. It sold more than 4 million copies and earned 3x Platinum status.
Here is a list of all her albums:
- What’s the 411 in 1992, No.6 at the US chart, more than 3.4 million copies
- My Life in 1994, peaked at No.7 at the US chart, selling more than 3 million copies
- Share My World in 1997, peaked at No.1 at the US chart, sold more than 4 million copies
- Mary, released in 1999, peaked at No.2 at the US chart, sold more than 2.1 million copies
- No More Drama, released in 2001, peaked at No.2 at the US chart, sold more than 3.2 million copies
- Love and Life, released in 2003, peaked at No.1 at the US chart, sold one million copies
- The Breakthrough, released in 2005, peaked at No.1 at the US chart, sold more than 3.1 million copies
- Growing Pains, released in 2007, peaked at No.1 at the US chart, sold more than 1.7 million copies
- Stronger with Each Tear, released in 2009, peaked at No.2 at the US chart, sold 950,000 copies
- My Life II, The Journey Continues, released in 2011, peaked at No.5 at the US chart, sold 800,000 copies
- A Mary Christmas, released in 2013, peaked at No.10 at the US chart, sold 328,000 copies
- The London Sessions, released in 2014, leaked two weeks before, considered her best album since 2005
- Strength of a Woman, released in 2017, peaked at No.3 at the US chart
Mary also has some acting roles. She appeared in Prison Song, I Can do Bad All by Myself, Mudbound, Trolls World Tour, and Sherlock Gnomes. She appears as the lead character Cha-Cha in the superhero web television series, The Umbrella Academy.
Awards and Achievements
It is not easy to list all her awards and achievements. Mary J. Blige has more than 160 award winnings and nominations. But we have to mention her American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist, as well as 2 American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Album. She received the award for her albums Share my World and The Breakthrough.
She also has 9 Grammy Awards, including 2 for best rap performance by a duo or group, 2 for the best female vocal performance, the best pop collaboration with vocals, best R&B song, best album, best Gospel performance, and best contemporary R&B album.
Net Worth and Income Sources
Mary J. Blige estimated wealth is $20 million. She earned most of her money thanks to her music. But Mary has other income sources as well.
In 2004, she launched her own record label company called Matriarch Records. In 2010, she released her first perfume My Life via Home Shopping Network. In 2010, she released a line of sunglasses called Melodies by MJB. Her perfume won the Fragrance Sale Breakthrough Award by selling 65,000 bottles.
She endorses brands like Reebok, Pepsi, Air Jordan, Mac Cosmetics, American Express, and Burger King.
The singer has more than 4.4 million followers on Instagram, giving her a nice option for sponsored links and posts.
Financial Troubles
Over the years, she had several financial issues. She was a target of a lawsuit claiming she owed $2.2 million for an unpaid bank loan. She owed more than $3.4 million to the IRS in 2014.
After her divorce from her husband, she had a negative cash flow of $11 million. She assumed all the debt but wanted something in return. She took on the entire debt, as long as the court puts an end to her spousal checks.
Lifestyle and real estate
With a cash flow of more than $20 million, Mary J. Blige can afford to live luxuriously. She bought a $12.3 million mansion in Saddle River in 2008. She paid all cash for the 20,000 square foot mansion. Mary tried to sell the mansion in 2015, but couldn’t find a buyer. She finally managed to sell it in August 2019 for $6.8 million. The singer owns a smaller mansion in Cresskill, New Jersey, which she bought in 2011.
She currently resides in her million-dollar mansion in Beverly Hills, California. As for her vehicle collection, it is expensive. She rides cars like Rolls Royce, Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz SL550, and a Mercedes-Benz C300.
Personal Life
Mary J. Blige was first engaged to K-Ci Hailey for one year. After that relationship, she married her manager Kendu Isaacs in 2013. She filed for a divorce in 2015. They do not have children together.
She revealed that she wanted to divorce Isaacs due to irreconcilable differences. They finally got divorced on 21st June 2018. The court ordered her to pay $30,000 per month for spousal support.
According to the divorce papers, at the time, she earned $300,000 per month.