Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She started her career as a backing singer on Uptown Records in 1989. She has released 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, ten Billboard Music Awards and has also received three Golden Globe Award nominations, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its second original song "Mighty River" for Mudbound, she also received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and for Best Original Song, becoming the first person nominated for an Academy Award for acting and song in the same year. Blige has also appeared in the 2009 Tyler Perry-directed film I Can Do Bad All By Myself and in the film Rock of Ages (2012).