Hillary Clinton will appear alongside singer Mary J. Blige on a new show for Apple Music, the streaming service announced tonight. The show is called The 411 — presumably a reference to Blige's debut album What's the 411? — and promises to show both Blige and Clinton "as you've never seen them before" when it arrives on September 30th.
Apple Music announced the show on Twitter with a bizarre clip that features Blige singing directly at the Democratic presidential candidate. Blige covers race, police brutality, and identity in America during her impromptu singsong: weighty and worthy topics, to be sure, but the effect is mightily awkward, primarily because it's an interview setup and Blige is just a few feet away from the Clinton. To her credit, Clinton stays stoic in the face of overwhelming weirdness, but Blige has the better idea, keeping her eyes shut as she serenades her target from a chair.
Like you’ve never seen them before.@MaryJBlige sits down with @HillaryClinton.#The411
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) September 27, 2016
Coming September 30th.https://t.co/hbaWqfjJcp pic.twitter.com/P2qpm3h3Pm
A second clip, also posted to Twitter, shows Blige asking more traditional, non-sung questions, but still looks like one of the more awkward interview sessions ever filmed. Blige asks questions in the videos, but both cut off before Clinton can answer, a tactic that should drive anticipation for the final show but just makes the Democratic candidate look strangely reticent and exasperated. Maybe she was indeed exasperated — I'm not sure how I'd react to a political interview conducted in song — but we'll find out the truth on September 30th.
An intimate conversation.@MaryJBlige and @HillaryClinton.#The411 coming September 30 on Apple Music.https://t.co/hbaWqf27NP pic.twitter.com/9nYv3G36MO
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) September 27, 2016