Mary J Blige was at the 90th Academy Awards in part because of her acting chops, but she’s still one of the greatest singers ever – and viewers of the Oscars on Sunday got to see her voice on full display.
After a proud introduction from her friend Taraji P. Henson, Blige, wearing a burgundy dress with sparkling earrings, gave a moving, teary-eyed performance of “Mighty River,” her Oscar-nominated song from the soundtrack of Mudbound. Clips from the film played on a screen behind her as she sang, and she closed her performance being joined by a chorus of backup singers standing behind and around her, each of them wearing all black.
Mary J. Blige was the first woman in history to be nominated for Best Original Song and Best Supporting Actress in the same year.