It’s undeniably a season of ‘gratitude’ for Mary J. Blige. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul joins the relatively long list of new holiday titles with her latest song, “Christmas Without You.”
Blige teams up with her longtime collaborator, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, for the track. Jerkins is known for his work with Blige on acclaimed albums like Share My World and The Breakthrough.
Together, they co-wrote “Christmas Without You,” alongside Astyn Turrentine and David “D1” Grant Jr., with Jerkins co-producing the track alongside Grant.
“Christmas Without You” is an emotional tune featuring heartfelt piano and lush string arrangements. Here, Blige isn’t smiling or filled with cheer; instead, she’s reflecting on the heartache that has dampened her holiday spirit.
Despite her sadness, she continues to honor the season traditions she once shared with her partner, hoping that Santa will reunite her with the one she loves.
Blige is more than familiar with the holiday season, having released her full-length holiday album, A Mary Christmas, in 2013 and reissuing it last year for its 10th anniversary.
Her collaborations with artists like Andrea Bocelli and Rod Stewart, along with her ’90s rarity “Christmas In The City” featuring Angie Martinez, have solidified her position in the recurring genre.
“Christmas Without You” comes mere days after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and follows the success of her non-holiday hit, “Breathing,” featuring Fabolous. The latter track earned her a ninth No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart.
Produced by S. Dot, “Breathing” serves as the lead single from her forthcoming album, Gratitude, set to release on Nov. 15 via Mary Jane Productions in partnership with 300 Entertainment.
Blige recently unveiled the artwork and tracklist for Gratitude, which features the brand-new single “You Ain’t The Only One.” The song has already made major waves as the most added song on R&B radio.
Her 15th studio album will also feature contributions from Jadakiss, Fat Joe, and FERG (formerly known as A$AP Ferg).
Regarding the artistic direction of Gratitude, Blige told People, “The overall theme is enjoying life and understanding that, again, life is what inspires me, whether I take the good with the bad. I look at every lesson as a blessing and I understand that I’m not the only one on the earth going through things. I celebrate my triumph, and I work through my hard times.”
She continued, “There’ll be things that are real and serious, but you’ll be able to dance to it or sing to it. There’s a bunch of different things — ballads, world music. There’s some good sh*t on here.”
In January 2025, Blige will take her Gratitude album on the road with her For My Fans Tour, sharing stages across North America alongside special guests Ne-Yo and Mario.
Stream Mary J. Blige’s new holiday single, “Christmas Without You,” below.