So you know a lot of the club music, it was different for me. But I had to just suck it up and just do it, and although I loved it, it was just different.
MJB: Well the only challenge was some of the music. HB: What were some of the challenges you came across while putting together this album and documentary?
Blige: Well, because I've been doing a lot of the same thing for the last 15 years, and I needed a change, I started to feel like everything was getting redundant and stagnant for me as an artist, and I just needed to do something and challenge myself in a different area of music. Harper's BAZAAR: In the documentary, you say, "Always remember what I did in the past, but never try to do it again." What inspired you to take this album in an entirely different direction? To do something that you never even thought about doing before? Having premiered the film at the Tribeca Film Festival last night, Blige sat down with BAZAAR to talk about chronicling the experience on film, why London is such an important place for music and her devotion to Amy Winehouse: After three weeks in the studio, Blige emerged with The London Sessions, an album of soulful dance tunes and moving ballads, and a documentary of the same name. Flying out to London in the summer of 2014, Blige entered the studio with the likes of Sam Smith, Emeli Sandé and Disclosure to explore new genres. Blige decided it was time to take her sound in a completely different direction.