Blige admits that it took years for her to develop that confidence and to hone her unique style. Looking back at her career, you can see that evolution in every album drop — and on the cover of her latest album, Strength of a Woman, Blige sits on a throne. You can’t miss the symbolism there: she’s a queen and she knows it. “I had to grow into this. No matter how many people would tell me I was beautiful, I didn’t believe them,” she says. “It took a lot of certain people saying they love me then start tearing me down for me to say, ‘OK, well, I got to start believing in myself, loving myself.’ I’m still growing and evolving, but I’ve reached a point where I can’t please the world; I have to please me.”