Mary J. Blige to be honored with the 2022 Billboard Icon Award
Blige is the 11th artist to receive the award.
Legendary artist Mary J. Blige will receive the Icon Award at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is also set to perform at the star-studded show in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 15.
In a statement shared with the announcement, Blige detailed what the honor means to her.
"My career has been such an incredible and unexpected journey that has included many turns into avenues I never could have imagined like acting, producing, launching businesses and now even my own music festival," the 10-time BBMA winner said.
Blige will launch the “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit” in Atlanta next month.
"Through it all, I always one way or another gravitated back to my first love, music," her statement continued. "To be recognized in this way at this moment, with the Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards, is an incredible honor and one that I am truly humbled by."
With the honor, Blige is now added to a list of only 10 other artists to receive the Icon Award, which recognizes achievements artists have made on the Billboard charts.
Some past recipients include Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Prince and Stevie Wonder.
Throughout her career, Blige has taken home countless awards for her chart-topping hits and albums. She released her latest album, "Good Morning Gorgeous" in February.
Following the release of the project, Blige spoke about its significance during an appearance on "Good Morning America."
"It's a positive affirmation I had to speak over myself when I was in a really dark situation," she said about the title of the project.
"I had to learn how to love my weight, love myself out of a negative place," she continued. "I learned that positive words -- speak positive words over yourself, you manifest positive things in your life. And I started to do it and it started to work and before you knew it I was all the way out of that negative situation."
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