Lines stretched around the 300 block of Chartres Street on Saturday afternoon, July 2, as crowds gathered – serenaded by the Soul Rebels – outside of a pop-up Carol’s Daughter location in the French Quarter for a chance to meet the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige. Over the past four years, Blige has found a home on the Essence Music Festival stage. This year, the perennial showstopper used her return to Essence as a stage to debut her newest perfume, My Life Blossom, a continuation of her original fragrance, My Life, launched through Carol’s Daughter in summer of 2010.

While going into the launch party, Blige commented, “Essence Festival is a special place. It’s a place where so many people from the country come together and celebrate togetherness and music. Some of my most passionate fans are here, and I want to give them something genuine for their continued support.” Saturday, of her latest scent she said, “My movement has been women, and I have this thing – we all have this thing – where we want to smell good. I don’t know a woman who doesn’t feel more confident knowing that she smells good when she walks into a room. I want to share that feeling with my fragrance line.”

For nearly two decades, Blige has blended the poise and power of soul with the hard times and true-to-life tales of hip-hop. Her ability to share her emotions through her music and to capture the essence of those feelings in her performances has made her one the most successful female artists of all time. In 2010, she took home her 9th Grammy Award. That year, the multi-platinum recording artist also earned her GED. As she reflected on her career, she told that story next to one about performing for President Barack Obama. “Singing at the (2008) Presidential Inauguration was a highpoint,” Blige said. “My career is a milestone. My life is a milestone. I can’t count anything out.”

Blige’s 10th album, My Life 2: The Journey Continues, is due out this fall.