Mary J. Blige launches ‘Strength of a Woman’ festival
The inaugural festival, featuring Chaka Khan, Ella Mai, City Girls, and more, takes place in Atlanta on May 6 to 8
Mary J. Blige is launching a music festival. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul announced she is partnering with Live Nation Urban for the inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit this May in Atlanta.
The festival will take place May 6 to May 8, intentionally coinciding with Mother’s Day weekend. It will be an all-female line-up that includes Chaka Khan, Ella Mai, Xscape, and City Girls.
Other acts expected to perform during the weekend include Queen Naija, Baby Tate, Omerettá the Great, Kierra Sheard, and Le’Andria Johnson.
In addition to the live music performances, the Strength of a Woman Festival will also have a comedy show, panel discussions, workshops, and a Mother’s Day gospel brunch. Blige, along with partners Nicole Jackson, vice president of MJB Inc., and Ashaunna Ayars of The Ayars Agency, created the festival as a method of using music through truth-telling to uplift, amplify, and empower BIPOC women.
“The idea for the festival came to us after early listening sessions of my latest album with my family and friends and women in the industry,” Blige said in a statement to theGrio.
“Each time, the people in the room would share a story, oftentimes of heartbreak or pain, but they always ended with joy and love and how their girlfriends or mom or sister helped them find their voice and strength. We felt like after two years of being inside and having to endure so much, that this was the type of experience that people, especially women, deserved.”
The decision to have the festival take place in Atlanta was also purposeful, citing it as a “mecca for young Black creatives and entrepreneurs.” Blige, Live Nation Urban, and co-producer Pepsi will link with several local venues and businesses throughout the weekend, particularly minority, and female-owned businesses.
“For generations, the foundation of Atlanta’s resilience has been built and fortified by women,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “The Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit lifts up our local minority and women-owned local businesses and amplifies the voices of the women in our lives who continuously make our communities better through their lens of courage combined with compassion.”
Presale tickets will be available on March 8 at 10 a.m. EST. General tickets will become available on March 10 at 10 a.m. EST. All tickets are available at the festival’s official website, as is the full line-up and schedule.
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