R&B icon Mary J. Blige will bring her Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit back to Atlanta this May. The long-reigning Queen of Hip Hop Soul made the announcement on International Women’s Day.
An all-Black, all-female team will curate the Strength of a Woman Festival. In celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary, attendees will get to see Mary J. Blige run through rarely-performed hits as part of the “MJB B-Sides” set.
“I’m so excited to bring our Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit back to Atlanta for its second year,” said Mary J. Blige. “Having the opportunity to continue to uplift, inspire, and build amongst a community of women is the reason why we created this festival.”
Blige continued, “I’m so grateful for all of the support from our performers and participants and of course Live Nation Urban, Pepsi, and our additional partners who are committed to celebrating and creating community for Black women.”
Lauryn Hill Will Headline One Night Of The Strength Of A Woman Festival
Strength of a Woman will present an R&B night featuring a performance by the legendary Lauryn Hill of the Fugees. Additionally, Summer Walker, Lucky Daye, Muni Long, and other acts will hit that stage for the special showcase of the Rhythm & Blues genre.
The 2023 Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit lineup also includes Jodeci, Jeezy, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Jadakiss, and more. Mike Epps will headline the comedy show. The live podcast portion of the event encompasses Angela Yee’s Lip Service.
Nicole Jackson, Vice President of MJB Inc., partnered with Mary J. Blige to organize this year’s Strength of a Woman. Ashaunna Ayars of The Ayars Agency will lead initiatives designed to empower women of the BIPOC community.
Mary J. Blige & Fellow Organizers Believe They’re Filling A Void In The Festival Space
“The popularity and impact of the inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit successfully showed how and why Black women are the blueprint for cultural relevancy and inclusion,” stated Nicole Jackson.
She added, “Being able to look back and see the global reach the festival had through our livestream and billions of media impressions is confirmation that we are filling a void in the festival space. Mary, Ashaunna, and myself are overjoyed to be back in Atlanta again and look forward to continued expansion in our programming and partnerships.”
Mary J. Blige’s 2023 Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit takes place May 11-14 in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. General tickets go on-sale beginning Friday, March 10 at 10 am ET. To purchase tickets visit soawfestival.com.
