Mary J Blige Responsible to Her Fans

Mary J. Blige knows that her audience has changed in the 15 years since she released her debut album, and she's stepping up to the challenge. "My fans have children now that know me and love me the way my fans do," Blige say in the May issue of Redbook, which hits newsstands next week.

The singer, who is a stepmother to husband Kendu Isaac's three children, recalled a young girl who was "so nervous and shaking and she started crying" when she saw Blige. "I met one of my fan's daughters after a show, and her father was like, 'She really, really loves you.' … And I said, 'Well, you know what that means. That means I have a whole other responsibility.' " Cool, Mary J!