User:Mary J. Blige (H)/sandbox

Mary Jane Blige (born September 23rd 1982) is a British singer-songwriter, producer and actress, better known as Mary J. Blige who rose to prominence at the age of 15 as a member of girl group Eternal. The group achieved four UK top ten albums and fourteen UK top twenty singles, amounting to 10 million worldwide record sales, between 1995 and 1998 when Blige was sacked by her bandmates via Fax in August 1998.

Just four months later, she was signed to LaFace Records and in November 1999, she released her debut solo album "Secrets". The album was successful worldwide, selling 15 million copies and featuring three US #1 singles, "You're Makin' Me High", "Unbreak My Heart" and "I Don't Want To". In July 2001, Blige released her second album ''"My Love Is Your Love" which sold 13 million copies worldwide and three internationally successful singles were released from it. In June 2002, she collaborated with rapper Nelly on the worldwide #1 hit "Dilemma" which became the fourth best-selling single of 2002 in the UK and twenty-second the following year. It was also the 11th most successful song from 2000 to 2009, on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.

In September 2003, Blige released her third studio album "No More Drama". It was less successful than it's predecessors selling 6.5 million copies worldwide but featured her fifth US #1 single "Family Affair". "Dance With Me", just released in the UK, became her first track since Eternal's "Crazy" in April 1996 to not reach the UK top ten breaking a run of 18 consecutive top ten singles. It would be over 3 years before Blige returned with her fourth album "The Breakthrough". The album sold 7 million copies worldwide and became her first US #1 album. "Just Fine", the fourth single became her first UK #1 single as lead artist. In December 2007, following the "Just Fine Tour", Blige announced her hiatus from recording and performing music after suffering a miscarriage of her third child.

In 2013, she confirmed her return to music with the release of her greatest hits album "Reflections: A Retrospective", which will be released on April 1st 2013 with her first single in almost six years, "Bleeding Love", to preced the album on March 25th. Blige has sold 41.5 million albums worldwide as a solo artist, including her work with Eternal, she has sold 51.5 million albums. She has 12 US top ten singles (five #1) and 16 UK top ten singles (one #1).