Mary J. Blige is preparing to release her new single “Breathing” featuring rapper Fabolous.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul confirmed the news in a social media post. She shared a photo of herself wearing a black outfit outdoors with the caption, “Big Mary not the little one,” which are lyrics from Fab’s verse on the track.
“Breathing” is set to be released on Aug. 16 via Beautiful Life Music / 300 Entertainment, with the official video premiering at 11 a.m. EST on the same day.
In July, DJ Funkmaster Flex previewed “Breathing” on his mix show list on 107.5 WBLS. Blige’s new song features a sample from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ 1956 classic “I Put a Spell on You.”
Hawkins’ timeless recording has been re-recorded by the likes of Nina Simone and sampled by The Notorious B.I.G. on his song “Kick in the Door” from his 1997 album, Life After Death.
Fabolous references Biggie’s song in his verse, which was included in Blige’s caption for her single announcement on social media. “Big Brooklyn big Yo what’s up we came to kick in the door,” Blige further wrote in her caption.
View this post on Instagram
“Breathing” will mark Blige’s first original song release since her 2023 single, “Still Believe in Love,” featuring rapper Vado.
The optimistic track, which samples Mtume’s “C.O.D. (I’ll Deliver),” spent eight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart, becoming Blige’s eighth chart-topper on the chart.
“I wrote [“Still Believe in Love”] when I was fresh out of my divorce because I needed to say something different and something positive, other than what was going on in my life,” Blige told Big Tigger of Atlanta’s V-103 during an Audacy Check In.
“I had to believe in myself. The timing, the climate for the song was just perfect for right now. People need some positivity.”
DJ Cassidy and Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman co-produced “Still Believe in Love,” which later received a remix featuring Fat Joe, Raekwon, and Jadakiss.
In a 2023 interview with Mike Shannon of SiriusXM’s Heart & Soul, Blige said “Still Believe in Love” will not appear on a future album.
Speaking of albums, Blige revealed in an Audacy Check In with Big Tigger that a new project is set to be released later this year. “I’m working on a project,” Blige told Tigger. “Something nice for my fans.”
Blige didn’t share many details about the project. However, she noted that it has more hip-hop soul and is less experimental, like her 2014 effort, The London Sessions.
“That’s what I do,” she said. “I tried The London Sessions, which was not a bad thing because I love music, period. But this is what I do.”
In April, Blige spoke with People and suggested that her upcoming project might be her last. “It’s probably my last studio album,” Blige said.
Blige’s next project will follow her 14th studio album, Good Morning Gorgeous, released on Feb. 11, 2022. In May of the same year, Blige released the deluxe edition of the album.
Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe) received six nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best R&B Album.
“Good Morning Gorgeous,” produced by D’Mile and H.E.R., was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, and Record of the Year.
Blige’s Anderson .Paak-assisted “Here With Me” was up for Best R&B Performance.
Good Morning Gorgeous was featured in Rated R&B’s list of 30 Best R&B Albums of 2022.
In other news, Blige continues to pursue acting, with her upcoming role in the film Rob Peace, which opens in U.S. theaters on Aug. 16.
According to the logline, the movie “follows the true story of a brilliant young man torn between his father’s shadowed past and his own promising future. Raised by his devoted mother, Rob risks everything he has worked for to free his imprisoned father.”
Blige stars as Jackie Peace, the mother. Rob Peace also stars Camila Cabello, Jay Will, Caleb Eberhardt, Curt Morlaye and more. Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor directs the film.
On Sept. 6, Blige returns to Starz for part two of the final season of Power Book II: Ghost. She reprises her role as Monet Tejada.
Later this year, she will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air on ABC at a later date and be available on Hulu on Sunday, Oct. 20.
The story will be updated as more information is revealed about Mary J. Blige’s new single, “Breathing.” (Last updated August 13, 2024, with the confirmed release date and details on its supporting music video.)
READ MORE: Mary J. Blige’s Albums, Ranked
READ MORE: Mary J. Blige’s 15 Most Iconic Song Covers
READ MORE: 15 Underrated Songs by Mary J. Blige
