Mary J Blige has spoken about why she turned down Rihanna‘s ‘Umbrella’, saying that she knew it “wasn’t for” her.
The song was released in 2007 by Rihanna and became one of the most widely played songs of the ‘00s – helping catapult her to global fame.
However, the song was actually penned with Britney Spears in mind. Co-written by Jay-Z (who featured on the track), The-Dream and producers Tricky Stewart and Kuk Harrell, pitched the idea to the ‘Toxic’ singer who ultimately turned it down as she already had songs lined up for her album.
The track was then sent to Mary J. Blige, and LA Reid, CEO of Island Def Jam, Rihanna’s label, but Blige eventually decided the song wasn’t meant for her.
Now, she has looked back at the decision in a new interview with Carmelo Anthony, and explained why she turned down the soon-to-be hit single.
The topic arose when the host asked her if there was a song or a beat that she thinks “got away” from her.
“It’s not something that got away from me, it’s just that I know what’s for me and what’s not for me,” she began.
“Dream and Tricky came to me with ‘Umbrella’. All I heard was “eh, eh,” and I was like, “yo, my fans are gonna bug out on me if they hear me talking about ‘eh, eh, eh’,” she said, referring to the vocal melody in the chorus.
“So I was like, ‘I got a lot going on. I’m gonna pass.’ Then when I heard Rihanna do it, I was like, ‘See, it was for Rihanna. It wasn’t for me,’” she continued. “I’m not afraid to pass on something that’s not for me. It got away, it got away, but it wasn’t for me in the first place.”
Check out the full interview on the episode of the 7PM In Brooklyn podcast above.
Back in 2017 The-Dream spoke about the origins of the song on Drink Champs, and said that it was “written out of pure pressure in life” and intended for Britney.
“[it was about] not being broke and not having certain things, I was OK then. I can say I had a music career at that point in time. I was getting checks out of the game. I had a publishing deal. It clicked,” the songwriter said. “It’s almost like having an out-of-body experience. I watched myself walk in and write that record. The record was written for Britney Spears.”
Rihanna hasn’t released an album since 2016’s ‘Anti’, and has since been focusing on her various businesses and voice-acting.
She recently welcomed her third child with A$AP Rocky, and it was reported that her cancelled rumoured London comeback shows may be rescheduled for later this year.
As for Blige, the singer joined up with 50 Cent and Davido last year for a huge show at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.