The reigning queen of hip-hop and R&B, Mary J. Blige took to the stage at London’s Roundhouse to bring her melodic vibes to this year’s iTunes Festival. The US songstress filled the auditorium with a plethora of hits, old and new, and The Wrap Up’s Jason was there to catch it all…

Feeling: Prior to the ‘No More Drama’ hitmaker entering the stage, the sea of music fans boogied to hits from homegrown dance duo, Gorgon City – who brought out vocalists including Yasmin, Maverick Sabre and MNEK to belt out some of their biggest hits including ‘Real’ and ‘Ready For Your Love’. Anticipating the arrival of the show's headline act, the atmosphere in the room reached peak levels as the audience – including UK pop vocalist, Jess Glynne – roared with applause upon the arrival of the US superstar.

The Look: A leather clad Blige certainly bought the glam to London - looking every inch the R&B superstar with her slicked blonde mane and designer sunglasses as she launched into a classic set of nineties and noughties tunes, including ‘Be Happy’, ‘You Bring Me Joy’ and ‘Enough Cryin’ - whetting the appetites of fans before launching into cuts from her latest LP, ‘The London Sessions’ – which she worked on alongside British artists: Emeli Sande, Sam Smith and Disclosure.

Tunes: The R&B diva slowed things down, with stunning vocal performance of new tracks ‘Therapy’ and ‘Not Loving You’ before getting everyone dancing again with Disclosure remix, ‘F For You’. After treating fans to new music, Mary performed some of her biggest hits, such as ‘No More Drama’ – during which she pulled out a dazzling light show and showed off her impressive vocal range, earning her a standing ovation from the crowd. As the night drew to an end, the ‘What’s the 411?’ artist treated fans to one last ballad, before giving the hit-hungry crowd a final encore with her 2001 top ten hit ‘Family Affair’.

After such a stellar performance, it’s safe to say that after over 20 years in the business Mary J. Blige shows no signs of slowing down, and The London Sessions definitely marks the start of a new era.

By Jason Edwards