Mary J. Blige Wants to Show Women They Can 'Thrive' as She Brings Empowering Music Festival to N.Y.C. (Exclusive)

Blige tells PEOPLE about her third annual Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit, taking place where she grew up: the Big Apple

Mary J. Blige is coming home.

The Grammy-winning R&B icon's annual Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit is back for a third year in partnership with Pepsi and Live Nation Urban, and this time around it's taking place in Blige's hometown of New York City.

Marking the only festival presented by an all-Black, all-woman team, the empowering three-day event goes down from May 10-12 for Mother's Day weekend — which is fitting, as the "Family Affair" singer drew inspiration from her own mom, Cora, during its creation.

The festival features a stacked lineup of celebrities appearing at various events in the city throughout the weekend — including the Strength of a Woman Summit at The Glassouse, where Angie Martinez will host panels, workshops and other uplifting programming.

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But that's just the start: Tiffany Haddish will perform a comedy show at the Apollo Theater on Friday, while Robert Glasper will take over Blue Note Jazz Club with two sets the same night.

Haddish will also serve as the host for a massive concert headlined by Blige at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday, and they'll be joined by Jill Scott, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Muni Long, Lola Brooke, Funk Flex and 50 Cent for the show.

To close out the festival on Sunday, Blige will host a gospel brunch at Brooklyn Chop House in Times Square before The Clark Sisters take the stage at Brooklyn Paramount later that night for a concert.

Blige recently caught up with PEOPLE about how growing up with her mother as a single parent in New York City inspired the festival, and she teased her next album — which may be her last.

How does it feel to have this empowering Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit returning for a third year?

It's been amazing and exciting and just so fulfilling to do what I always wanted to do, continue to give people a piece of me, uplift us, inspire us and elevate us — the same way I've been doing through my music, I'm doing it through my festival now — and of course, entertain us as well. It feels really good.

This year, the festival is coming to New York City. What does it mean for you to bring this event to your hometown?

It means so much to bring it home because this is where I wanted it to be originally, but we ended up in Atlanta for two years, and it was successful. I love Atlanta. Atlanta's home too, but it just feels amazing to have it at home where I was born and raised. All my family and friends are here, and it feels amazing.

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Does having the festival in New York bring you back your time in the city before you made it to the big leagues?

I think that the reason for the Mary J. Blige movement and even the festival is because just as a woman living in New York, and my mother living here and raising us, she was a single parent mother who did it on her own. I watched so many mothers do it on their own, and so many women do it on their own in the environment that I was raised in. It was really hard for us and really hard for those women.

I always said, as a little girl, I wanted to help us in some kind of way. I don't know how, but I never want to see another woman suffer if I can help it. And I saw a lot of women suffer, in the inner city, in New York, and my goal was to uplift us, elevate us and encourage us through just my life and with people watching and saying, "Mary J. Blige can come from where she comes from and survive all that and now thrive, then we can do it too." That was my dream and my vision coming up as a girl in New York and seeing the things that I've seen. And I've done a lot of that.

The festival’s lineup is stacked — Tiffany Haddish, Robert Glasper, Angie Martinez, 50 Cent and more, plus yourself. How do you go about choosing acts for the festival? Was there anyone that you immediately knew you needed to get on board?

I mean, it's just so many people that I wanted, but for the last two festivals, I got everybody I wanted. I got Chaka Khan, one of my favorite artists. I got just a lot of amazing people that I wanted. It's hard because it's about availability for people, and a lot of people I love and respect. I love and respect 50 Cent. I love and respect Muni Long. I love and respect Fat Joe. I love and respect everybody that's on the show. From the concert to the comedy night, I love Robert Glasper. These are people that I love and respect, and that's how I choose them.

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Is there any one event that you're really excited to attend yourself this year?

Well, I forgot to mention The Clark Sisters. This is a dream come true, the gospel brunch, and to have The Clark Sisters be a part of this festival. It's amazing, man. It's epic, because a lot of these women, a lot of us grew up listening to The Clark Sisters, and they helped us through a lot of stuff. We call them our “earth angels,” and it's going to be a blessing to see them perform and have that brunch. Of course, I want to see all the performers perform. I just want to see everybody. I'm going to be everywhere, all over the place.

You're going to be performing at the Barclays Center, and you've got a massive catalog of hits and new music. What can you tease about your own performance?

I can just tease the fact that everybody's performing that night with me. So that's going to be fun to have everybody just coming and performing with me that night. I don't want to tell so much, but it's going to be a great night.

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You've released a few singles and collaborations since your 2022 album, Good Morning Gorgeous. What is inspiring you creatively right now?

Just life and feeling good about it. Feeling good about life, having fun with the fruits of my labor, signing acts, continuing to help people to live out their dreams. Like WanMor, my boy group, and Vado, the rapper that I'm on the “Beautiful Life Allstars” song with as my alter ego, Brooklyn. And [my latest single] "Still Believe in Love" is where I'm at. I believe in love for myself, love for life, love for happiness, love for God, love for peace. Know that life is full of ups and downs, and roll with the punches because life is important. That's what's inspiring my music, and I have new music coming too. I'm actually in the studio right now recording more music, and I'm having fun. I'm having fun no matter what happens.

Are you recording for another album or just seeing where the wind takes you?

This is another album, and it's probably my last studio album.

Whoa. Why?

[Laughs] Everybody says that. I mean, OK. I guess it's not then.

Well, you took that back fast.

Nah, I've been doing it for a while. I love it, I enjoy it, and it might be the last studio album. It might be.

Tickets for the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit 2024, presented by Mary J. Blige and Pepsi, are available now at the event's website.

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