Mary Jane Blige is a singer, rapper, songwriter and actress. She is widely known as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" for mixing the two musical genres together. Blige has sold over 40 million albums worldwide and has won eight Grammy awards. She also has a World Music Legends Award, despite her young age. Her musical style has influenced many other female vocalists, including Alicia Keys and Ashanti.
玛丽·简·布莱姬是说唱歌手、唱作人兼女演员。因将两种音乐风格融会贯通，荣获“嘻哈灵魂乐女皇”称号。全球唱片销量超4000万张，获得八项格莱美奖。虽然年纪轻轻，但却获得全球传奇音乐奖。包括艾丽西亚·凯斯、Ashanti在内的许多女歌手受她影响。
Blige was born in 1971 in New York. She grew up listening to the new sounds of hip-hop and rap that were starting to come out of New York. She also loved her mother's collection of 60s and 70s soul records. She won a talent competition when she was seven and decided she wanted to be a singer.
1971年，布莱姬出生于纽约。从小接受嘻哈说唱音乐，当时纽约也一度盛行。母亲有许多60-70年代灵魂乐专辑，布莱姬也格外喜爱。7岁那年，布莱姬获得选秀节目冠军，并决定从事演唱事业。
Blige improved her singing technique in the local church choir. In 1988, she recorded an Anita Baker song at a recording booth in a local mall. Her mother's friend loved it and sent it to a recording company executive, who signed Blige instantly. She spent several years as a backup singer, before releasing her debut album in 1992.
通过当地教堂合唱团，布莱姬提高了演唱水平。1988年，在当地一家商场录音棚，布莱姬录制了一首安妮塔·贝克的歌曲。母亲好友格外喜爱，并寄给了唱片公司总裁，并很快与布莱姬签约。1992年，布莱姬发表首张个人专辑，在此之前，她做了多年幕后歌手。
Blige has recorded eight studio albums, including the highly successful ‘The Breakthrough’, for which she scooped many awards. She also branched out into acting and has appeared in television series, Broadway plays and movies. Blige is also actively involved in several charities and started the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, “to inspire women from all walks of life to reach their individual potential.”
布莱姬总共发布8张个人专辑，包括《The Breakthrough》，该专辑斩获多座奖项。她还涉足演艺圈，还曾出演电视剧、百老汇戏剧以及电影。并热衷慈善事业，发起“妇女进步”基金会，鼓励各行女性发挥自我潜能。
译文属秀哈英语原创，未经允许，不得转载。
