Pink Respects Mary J. Blige for Dismissing Her

Pink has spent decades in the entertainment industry, and while she’s best known for her singing chops, her unique outlook and her response to rumors have garnered her plenty of fans, too. Pink has thick skin, and people love that about her. Apparently, she was born with it. The singer has said she has nothing but respect for Mary J. Blige, all because the R&B legend once gave her a very honest answer to a very serious question. Here is what happened.

Pink respects Mary J. Blige for passing on a collaboration

Pink has appeared on hundreds of talk shows over the years, and some of her stories have become the stuff of legend. A tale she’s told more than once about Mary J. Blige is a perfect example. During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Morning Mashup, Pink said she respects Blige’s honesty, even though it felt brutal when she was on the receiving end of it.

She explained that back in the early 2000s, she approached the legend about potentially collaborating. Pink was new on the scene with the release of her debut album, Can’t Take Me Home. She decided to shoot her shot when she found herself in the same space as Blige, asking if she’d like to work together. According to Pink, Blige looked at her and simply said, “No.”

While most people would cringe, Pink insists that bluntness is exactly the kind of thing she respects. She said she’d rather Blige turn her down than fake it, promise to call, and then ghost her. True to her word, Blige has never worked with Pink, though we still think they’d sound great together.

Mary J. Blige’s rejection might be pretty unique

Across her long career, Pink has collected more than a few notable duets. She teamed up with Chris Stapleton on “Love Me Anyway,” scored a massive hit alongside Nate Ruess, and has recorded with Eminem, Lily Allen, and Steven Tyler. There seem to be very few people who have turned down the chance to work with her. Blige might be the only one to do it quite so bluntly, but she isn’t the only one entirely.

Pink has also revealed that she once tried to get Prince to collaborate with her. She asked him back in the late 1990s, when she was still just a teenager. When he asked whether she owned her master recordings, she said no. He told her to call him when she made that happen, which she found rude at the time. Years later, she admitted that age and maturity helped her understand what the music icon was actually trying to encourage her to do.

While only a handful of artists have outright turned down working with Pink, the “Love Me Anyway” singer does have a few notable professional feuds. She’s said that Madonna doesn’t like her following an odd encounter, and there have been rumors for years about tension with Christina Aguilera, though neither has dwelled on it publicly in recent years.