Mary J. Blige is cutting ties with anyone bold enough to breach her trust. She has been singing about “No More Drama” for twenty-plus years, and she means every word of the 2001 mega-hit record. So, it comes as no surprise that she did not hesitate to terminate the employee who leaked information about “The For My Fans Tour.”
To her dismay, earlier in the month, a snippet of the set list for the 36-show trek appeared online. The lights will go up for the first performance in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Jan. 30 with special guests Ne-Yo and Mario in tow. At the time of the betrayal, she posted in a since-deleted Instagram Story, “This kinda hurts, and it’s sad to see this leaked. I wanted to surprise my fans with something special, but this doesn’t’ even scratch the surface of what I have planned!”
In a new People interview published on Saturday (Jan. 25), the Queen of Hip Hop Soul spoke more about the fallout from. “Yeah, I was pissed, and I fired someone because of it,” she told the outlet. Moreover, the nine-time Grammy Award winner shared, “We worked too hard, and the setlist is the most private thing. It was unprofessional. Obviously, it was somebody within the camp, and they risked their whole life just to get a couple of likes.”
Reiterating the sentiment from her Instagram post, the Mudbound Oscar nominee declared, “Only a little bit got leaked, and that's not even half. People don't even know what else is coming.” The songstress announced the arena tour that will take her, Ne-Yo, and Mario across the country into mid-April in September 2024. A few of the major stops include Atlanta, Houston, and Madison Square Garden in New York.
Last November she released her 15th studio album, Gratitude, boasting collaborations with Fat Joe, ASAP Ferg, Jadakiss, and Fabolous. "I am in such a place of immense gratitude and peace at this moment,” she previously told People about how special it will be to hit the road again. She especially wants the experience to be significant for her female fans, too., hence her decision to include R&B crooners this go-around.
“I love Ne-Yo and Mario, and I think those two guys have some of the best love songs of their generation,” said the “Power Book: Ghost” actress. “Last time, I had Queen Naija and Ella Mai [on the “Good Morning Gorgeous Tour”]. I love me some Ella Mai, and I love Queen. This time I said, ‘We really need the women to be serenaded this time.’ We really need the women to feel special, and it's time for women to feel special.”