Mary J. Blige enlisted some of the finest producers and songwriters for her new album The London Sessions. British sensation Emeli Sandé was selected as writer for the project, lending her writing skills for two songs including the upbeat track “Pick Me Up” and Blige’s emotional single “Whole Damn Year.”
Released exclusively on VIBE.com, Sandé explains in a short clip the creative process behind Blige’s painful ballad. Sandé says that “Whole Damn Year” was written a few months before Blige landed in London. However, while Sandé loved the song, she felt that “it wasn’t a song for me.” Yet, Sandé says “as soon as Mary heard it and connected to it, it really felt like the song had found it’s natural and true home.”
Sandé also speaks on song’s lyrical content, calling it “very honest and quite exposing.”
Last week, Blige’s single “Whole Damn Year” jumped from No. 11 to No. 7 on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart. It also debuted at No. 49 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song will appear on The London Sessions album due December 2 via Capitol Records.
Check out the behind-the-scenes of Mary’s “Whole Damn Year” below.
