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Mary J. Blige gave a performance and interview onstage at the New York Time’s Times Talks event Monday, November 28. During the talk, she opened up about her candor in music, her surprise collaboration with Beyonce and working with greats such as Aretha Franklin.

“When life is real it’s not going to be smooth,” said Blige to New York Times music critic Jon Pareles about her career-long decisions to make her private life known through her music. “I was just singing from my life, singing through my experiences, singing through the hurt and the pain in order to survive,” Blige said.

Blige also spoke about the serendipitous road that led to her recent collaboration with Beyonce, in which the single “Love a Woman” was born.

“She had her A&R people play the record for us. I’m sitting in the back thinking,”Is she really going to give me this record? That’s crazy! It’s amazing,’” Blige said. “I asked her A&R person and he said, ‘Yes, she wants you to have the record, but she wants to stay on it with you.’ I loved that idea and I’m thankful. I thank Beyoncé for the record.”

However, despite being a legend in her own right who has worked with the aforentioned Queen Bee, U2, Diddy and others, Blige admitted that working with such icons as Aretha Franklin made her a bit gun-shy.

“It’s like being in a room with your mom because she is no nonsense. A sweet lady, but she’s been in this business a long time, so she’s seen everything. I gave her space and waited until she would embrace me and she finally did.” The legends collaborated on the Golden Globe and Grammy nominated, “Never Gonna Break My Faith.”

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