Throwback Thursday: Taylor Swift Sings With Mary J. Blige
By Kara Johnson
Remember when Taylor Swift would bring out special guests on the 1989 World Tour? Every show Swifties would guess which guest was coming out with great enthusiasm. Those were the days, and we relive them often.
Perhaps some Swifties weren’t aware of who Mary J. Blige was when she first made her entrance on the 1989 stage, but after her incredible performance, we know that she gained many new listeners. It was a raw and honest performance from both Swift and Blige as they sang through Blige’s track “Doubt” and “Family Affair”.
After the performance, Blige praised Swift, “I’ve always been a fan. I’ve always loved and truly, truly respect Taylor Swift as a woman, as a businesswoman, and as an artist. So I immediately said yes because I just love her that much.”
It may seem that the two come from different worlds, but they’re actually very similar. “Taylor has great, relatable lyrics,” she tells Yahoo. “And she is a great businesswoman and she’s a great example for a lot of women — young women and older women — to follow. Her music speaks for itself. And that’s one of the reasons why I loved the opportunity of being on the stage with her tonight, because I respect real artists, and she’s a real artist.”
Needless to say, the performance is incredible. You can feel the emotion coming through your screen as they both give it their all. In the video below, Swift explains why the song is important to her. “I doubt myself every single day, no matter what happens… And I think I always will, and I think it’s always something I’m going to struggle with. But this song helped me and helps me moment to moment. I don’t think we can ever hope to fully get over the things that make us insecure, or the voices in your head that say, ‘You can’t do it, you’re not good enough, nobody likes you, you’re not cool, you’re so annoying.’”
“But I wanted to sing this song for you because this was the first city I heard this song. And it is absolutely foolish to try and sing a Mary J. Blige song because she’s the greatest singer who ever lived. But this song matters to me, and it means so much to me to get to sing it to you, and I think it can help you if you struggle with the same kinds of insecurities that I do.”
The performance is truly remarkable. Watch it below and let us know what you think in the comments or tweet us at @FansofTaylorFS
Related Story: Throwback Thursday: Taylor Swift's Grammy Performance