At 47, Mary J Blige has been there and done that. She’s a seven times Grammy winner, but right now she’s being touted as a Best Supporting Actress contender for her work in Mudbound, an uncompromising look at racial prejudice in the American South. At her press conference for the film – I’ve interviewed her five times previously – she’s strong, formidable. And all embracing.

You’ve been singing for a quarter of a century. How did it all begin?

When I was seven years old, I sang the song Reunited by Peaches & Herb and I realised I could sing professionally, but it didn’t happen right away. I was already a teenager and I hadn’t gotten a deal yet. All my friends and some of my family members would show me off to people, and take me to stores and ask me to sing, and take me to people’s houses and ask me to sing.

So when did it finally happen?

When I was 16 or 17. My mother’s boyfriend was a co-worker of Jeff Red who had been signed by Uptown Records. I went to a karaoke machine (in a mall) and I made a tape. I sang Caught Up In The Rapture by Anita Baker. I gave the tape to my mother’s boyfriend. He took it to Jeff Red, and Jeff Red took it to Andre Harrell who was the CEO of Uptown Records. They came to my house in Yonkers and they heard me sing, but it took another two years before I was signed.

As a young artiste starting in the business, were you taken advantage of by unscrupulous record producers?

When I got into the music business, all I could do was sing. No one taught me what a contract meant or how to read through a contract. I had no preparation for that. I had no control over anything. I was being robbed, ripped off, lied to. But I didn’t care as long as I had my alcohol, my drugs, whatever, you name it.

As long as I had my supply, they could keep robbing me and telling me anything. I was pretty much trusting people that weren’t trustworthy. So you wind up signing your life away and then later on you have no money and you have nothing because they steal everything from you.

So how did you turn things around?

I realised I was going to die if I didn’t stop drinking. If I didn’t stop doing drugs, I was going to lose my career completely. My husband had come into my life at that point. He challenged me. He asked me these questions: “Why do you hate yourself? Why do you drink so much? Why? Why?” It drove me crazy to the point where I started to ask myself those questions, and the answers were always: “I don’t know.”

But then it happened that an artiste (R&B singer Aaliyah) who I admired died in a plane crash (in August 2001). It was a wake up call and I stopped cold turkey. I told myself I am not going to drink anymore. That accident changed my whole life completely.

When was the first time you realised you could be an actress?

When I did my first movie, it was an independent film called Prison Songs. But I had always wanted to be an actress. In elementary school, my music teacher Miss Sweeney would put me in plays, but it didn’t start happening until I actually got into the music business and realised I needed another way of expressing myself.

You still work with an acting coach. After five movies why do you think you still need one?

It’s something that I’ve always requested because I don’t believe I’m the greatest actress in the world. So I have to work at it. When people see my work, I want them to know that I’ve earned their respect.

You always have such a strong message of love and hope. Where does it come from?

From my mum. My mum was a single parent. I don’t want to go into the details of what she went through, but she’s been through a lot. In the neighbourhood we lived in, women were being abused really badly. And as a child when you see this, it affects you. It affected me. I didn’t want to see another woman suffer.

I said if I ever get a chance, at some point, I’m going to make sure my mother never suffers again, and every woman in the world that would listen to me never suffers again. I myself have been in relationships that were bad. So I’d say, it was my environment growing up that has inspired me to want to help other people.

Ending your marriage (to Kendu Isaacs) in 2016 after 13 years must have been painful. How are you coping with that?

Yeah, I’m dealing with a lot of challenges right now. But what I’m doing is allowing myself to be human. I cry, I scream, I do whatever I need to do to get through it. And then once I’m done with the emotional part of it, I go out into the world and I’m strong.

So you’ve started to love yourself?

Yeah, and it took me a long time to get there. I’ve made horrible people choices because I didn’t love myself, so I drew people to me that probably hated me more but hid it, and so it was, “Oh, yeah, Mary, knock yourself out. Drink yourself here. Do the drugs, do this, do that” which almost killed me. So now I make better people choices and I love Mary more.

What makes you happy?

Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is food. I love food. I love my girlfriends. I love to laugh. I love my sisters and going to dinner with my girlfriends. I love to see my family. I love when I do a good job. I love when I make people happy. What else? Shoes. I love a good pair of shoes. And just peace of mind, really being able to go home and have peace of mind.

Do you have a ritual you do before you go on stage?

My ritual is prayer. I pray and I sing to myself every single day, but especially before a show. I just need to be spiritually grounded so I can deal with any challenge.

What is your dream?

Well, my dream and my goal is to do what I have been doing through my music – to touch people and to uplift them and inspire them, and to encourage women to know that we are so much more important than they have pegged us to be. I can’t save the world, and I am not trying to, but I want to just hug people and reassure them that they are not alone. I have done that through my music throughout my career.

What is the best lesson you’ve learned?

That I have the power to make positive things or negative things happen to me. I have that power.

Eight of 1,200 bands became finalists of the Rockin’ Battle competition.

Each of the finalists, collectively referred as The Mighty Eight, contributed one song to a compilation album produced by Musikimia guitarist Stephan Santoso.

The album, already available on digital platforms like Apple Music and Spotify, was officially launched at Brewerkz Bar in Senayan City mall, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

“The album is a tribute to all rock fans in Indonesia. Each band has different characteristics and different origins too,” said Gege Dhirgantara, SuperMusic.ID’s general manager, in a press release.

SuperMusic.ID is the organizer of the competition.

The album is a clear-cut attempt at sparking a kind of rebirth in the Indonesian rock music, the scene that, according to Gege, observes a clear distinction between the old and the young.

“In hindsight, there is a disparity between the elders and the newer seeds of rock music. In addition, there is a belief that in this country, there is plenty of new talent. Well, the proof is the audition process [for this competition], which featured [more than] 1,200 bands,” Gege said.

In ascending order, the top-three bands were: The metalcore band from Aceh, Killa The Phia; the electronic rock band from Palembang, Meet After the Storm (MA.t.S); and the indie pop/hip-hop band from Jakarta, GHO$$.

The five other bands included in the compilation album are: Yogyakarta’s Kasino Brothers; Bekasi’s THE GRGTZ; Medan’s Equaliz; Bandung’s Radioaktif; and Jakarta’s Jakarta Blues Factory. As for the “different characteristics,” the album features several variations of music, from psychedelic to blues, from pop to hip-hop.

“There are a lot of bands in Indonesia that fly under the radar, familiar only to members of their communities,” Stephan said.

Earlier this year, all of the bands except for GHO$$, recorded one song in Aquarius Studio, in Jakarta.

GHO$$, as the winner of the competition’s top prize, recorded their song, “CARE.LE$$,” in studios such as Studios 301 and Hercules Street Studios, both located in Sydney, Australia.

Stephan explained that the judges picked only eight bands because they prioritized quality over quantity. Different disciplines of rock were taken into consideration by the judges.

“That we chose eight bands comes from the fact that the judges also hail from different musical backgrounds,” Stephan said.

The winners will go on tour across cities in Indonesia sometime in the future. Whether they’ll always tour together as The Mighty Eight remains to be seen.

“The process comes naturally,” Gege said. “Whether the bands will focus on their own music is their own decision.”

Aside from chats with Gege, Stephan and members of the bands, the launch featured portions of testimonies from musical figures such as Rekti Yoewono from The S.I.G.I.T., Hermawan “Che” Johan from Cupumanik, Gugun Blues Shelter and more.

Giring Ganesha from the band Nidji also appeared, co-signing GHO$$ as the band with the kind of music that Indonesia has “seldom heard.”

To close out the proceedings, GHO$$ – comprised of Diegoshefa Dilanegara (vocals), Fadhi Perdana (guitar), Diego Aditya (guitar) and Dito Adhikari (bass), with the additional Otin Sinambela (drums) – performed four songs, including “CARE.LE$$,” “Insane” and “Sad Boys Club.”

The performance was ecstatic and the weight of the theatrics was on the shoulders of the blond-haired Diegoshefa, who enthusiastically danced on stage to the roar of their music, with its low-high dynamics, screechy guitars and Diegoshefa’s subdued singing and rapping.

“Our genre could be considered new in Indonesia,” Diegoshefa said. “After all, one genre is just the expansion of other existing genres.”

Whether it’s a student studying in a library or an office worker surrounded by piles of paper, the dark vibe of Epik High’s music has long functioned as a remedy for many people struggling with their daily lives.

The hip-hop trio’s music dives deep into subjects like desperation, remorse and anger — everyday emotions that people would rather avoid discussing — and consoles people in its own way.

Three years after topping the charts with “Shoebox,” Epik High, which consists of Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz, has returned with its ninth full-length album “We’ve Done Something Wonderful,” a gloomy record released Monday. But the group seemed much more laid back and at ease, compared to the days when its members angrily ranted about society.

“When we promoted ‘Pencil Sharpener,’ it was as if we were holding a magic stick, like we could change this world with a pen and paper. Compared to our ambitious past, however, we now feel afraid and burdened when in front of a blank sheet to write down lyrics,” said Epik High’s producer and rapper Tablo during an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Tuesday.

“And we decided to talk about those honest feelings through music. After everything we’ve been through, which included times when I almost quit music regardless of my will, I became thankful for everything.”

The 14-year-old group’s 11-track album “We’ve Done Something Wonderful” is fronted by two lead tracks “Home is Far Away” and “Love Story,” featuring singers Oh Hyuk and IU, respectively.

“Home is Far Away” depicts the inner struggles of those who contemplate their seemingly far-fetched goals. The track also centres on the disheartening moment of failing to find an empty taxi when one is returning home from work.

As for “Love Story,” Tablo explained that the song was influenced by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s films and said that he wanted the song to be like a movie about painful love.

Asked why the group partnered with IU, Tablo said, “First of all, I’m a fan of IU. Her voice is special in that it sounds warm and cold at the same time, which is very attractive. I thought such a combination could well deliver the song’s message about love, which is a combination of those two emotions.”

DJ Tukutz, who was in charge of casting IU and Oh Hyuk, said that he was especially happy when Oh Hyuk accepted his request, as the artist is notorious for being unresponsive.

The intensity of the album explodes with tracks such as the hard-hitting “No Thank You” featuring Song Min-ho of Winner, Simon Dominic and The Quiett, “Here Comes the Regrets” featuring Lee Hi, and “Bleed.”

“In fact, all three of us are very negative, and we tend to sink ourselves into deep despair. But we’ve been making efforts to become more positive, which is also reflected in our music,” Tablo said.

But the unique identity of the group remains, its music heavy with introspective and contemplative lyrics.

Like people frantically kicking their feet against drowning, Tablo said people’s lives are like those desperate feet beneath the peaceful surface. And Epik High’s music has been focusing on those hidden moments, according to Tablo.

“Whenever I meet people, I always think that they will have their own desperation and struggles, no matter how emotionless they seem to be,” he said.

Epik High also addressed the recent controversy sparked by the R-rated “No Thank You” — which some critics said included profanity in its lyrics — saying that the group had not expected the song to become an issue at all.

Epik High shot to stardom in 2003 with its debut album, “Map of the Human Soul.” The group rose from the underground hip-hop scene with hits such as “Fly,” “Love Love Love” and “Umbrella.” After moving from Woolim Entertainment to YG Entertainment in 2012, the trio dropped its eighth studio album “Shoebox” in 2014, with two of its lead singles “Happen Ending” and “Spoiler” being highly acclaimed by critics.

In March 2015, Epik High performed at the SXSW event in Austin, Texas, and in April 2016, the group became only the second Korean artist to perform at the Coachella music festival. In 2015, Tablo became the head of the YG Entertainment indie sublabel HIGHGRND, which houses indie acts like Hyukoh Band led by Oh Hyuk and The Black Skirts, but he resigned from the post in July to focus on the return of Epik High.

Also an experienced producer, Tablo said that he had recently written a song for veteran singer Lee So-ra, with a punchline that Suga of BTS will feature in the song. He said that he prefers an unconventional combination of artists, expressing his hope to work with balladeer Sung Si-kyung and a member of Twice, who hail from very different musical genres.

“Some fans say that our new album gives an impression that it’s going to be our last record. If fact, we worked on the album with such a mindset. While we don’t want to use the word ‘last,’ we realised that there are unexpected moments that can crash our music career,” Tablo said.

“That’s why we are so grateful to have this interview right now, as it’s going to be one of our very few record-related activities,”

As is usual for the group, Epik High does not plan to appear on TV programs or music shows to promote its new album. But the group will hold concerts on Nov. 3 and 4 at Blue Square Samsung Card Hall in Hannam-dong, central Seoul.

Released to coincide with the 14th anniversary of the group’s first album “Map of the Human Soul” in October 2003, “We’ve Done Something Wonderful” has been going strong on both domestic and foreign charts. Several tracks from the album, including its two lead tracks, have swept several local charts as of Tuesday, while the album went on to top the iTunes Top Albums Chart in 10 countries including Colombia, Peru, Vietnam and Hong Kong.