Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige

Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige to Tour South Africa!

One of R&B/Hip Hop's most celebrated artists, Mary J. Blige, is set to perform in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town in October 2007

Following last weeks postponement of Mary J Blige's South African tour, it has been announced that new dates have been confirmed for October this year. The new dates will see the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, kicking off in Johannesburg at the Coca-Cola Dome on 18 October, before heading to Durban's Westridge Park Stadium on the 19th followed by the Bellville Velodrome in Cape Town on the 21st of October 2007.

The tour which was set to kick off in Johannesburg on the 12th of May was postponed in order to accommodate a routing change on her world tour.

Described by the media as having a "smouldering stage presence" during her last South African concerts in April 2000, the tour saw her performing to 48 000 ecstatic fans countrywide.

The accomplished six-time Grammy Award winning R&B, soul, and hip-hop soul singer, songwriter, producer, and actress who has sold more than 34 million records worldwide, has just completed a season sweep of the "big three" major music awards, having won the American Music Award in November 2006, the Billboard Music Awards in December 2006, and the Grammy Awards in February 2007, where she took home 3 awards for her last studio album, "The Breakthrough".

The album, her seventh studio album, has sold more than 3 million copies, starting with 727,000 in its opening week - the highest ever for a female R&B singer. The lead single, "Be Without You," ruled the R&B charts for fifteen straight weeks, and the powerhouse collaboration with U2 on their classic "One" reached an even bigger audience - proving without a doubt that Blige is the pre-eminent soul singer of our time.

Blige has long been called the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul". A bridge between the R&B world and the hip-hop nation, she pioneered the movement that would later become neo-soul, generating gripping songs that were also massive radio hits. She has the distinction of being the first to fully seize the narrative possibilities of rap: Her tough-girl persona and streetwise lyrics give her 1992 debut "What's the 411?" a realism and gritty undertone.

She then released the more conventional R&B-ballad "My Life" in 1994, and the follow up, "Share My World" took her into the R&B mainstream, entering the Billboard charts at No.1 in 1997. Her 4th album, "Mary" came out in 1999, with a fuller, more elegant sound and classic soul style. The album made it obvious that the ghetto fabulous style and more confrontational aspects of her music were gone, while the emotive power still remained. Mary then released "No More Drama" in 2001, and "Love and Life" in 2003. A greatest hits album, "Reflections (A Retrospective)" was released at the end of 2006.

Known for her electrifying live performances, Mary J. Blige is capable of conveying heartache and happiness in a single musical phrase. Her emotional honesty reflects the great traditions of blues and soul, and has won her countless honors and a devoted, ever-growing audience around the world. Critics and fans alike are floored by her powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap.

Mary J. Blige Tour of South Africa
Tour Itinearary: Thursday 18 October 2007: The Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg; Friday 19 October 2007: Westridge Park Tennis Stadium, Durban; Saturday 21 October 2007: The Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town
Tickets: Computicket 083 915 8000 - Johannesburg: R175 - R325; Durban: R160 - R280; Cape Town: R175 - R325