Sunglasses have been part of Mary J. Blige's signature style since her debut in 1991, so it comes as no surprise that the hip-hop queen of soul is designing her own line of shades.

Blige, along with her label Interscope and its Chairman Jimmy Iovine, has joined forces with premium eyewear company Orange 21 to develop a sunglasses line called -- Melodies by MJB. Set to debut this fall Melodies by MJB will feature four styles with 20 different color options that all represent a specific facet of Blige's life.

Mary J. has been part of two other recent business ventures outside of the music that include a line of t-shirts and her own fragrance, so Melodies by MJB is another power move for the multi-platinum artist.

"To reach out beyond music, an artist has to become involved with something they're already associated with and truly feel passionate about and not just stick their name on someone else's product. As her fans know, Mary loves fashion and she especially loves sunglasses, making Melodies by MJB a natural fit for her," said Jimmy Iovine. The music exec also helped execute the successful venture with Monster for the Beats By Dr. Dre headphones.

Following the launch of Melodies of MJB this year, a second more extensive collection will be available in Spring 2011.

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