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Missy Elliott, Miranda Lambert, Mary J. Blige open up for new season of ‘Behind the Music’

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VH1’s “Behind the Music” is continuing its resurgence with a new season of the revived documentary series.

Launching at 10 p.m. June 29 with an episode dedicated to rapper Missy Elliott, the series will continue its brand of intensely personal narratives, paired with never-before-seen footage from the featured artists and interviews from those who know them best.

Elliott, who stepped away from the spotlight in recent years, address rumors about her weight and opens up about being sexually molested as a young child.

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“Missy was great and very candid,” said Brad Abramson, series executive producer. “She talked for the first time about her [near fatal bout with] Graves disease, which she’s been battling for the last few years, and spoke in detail about the sexual abuse she experienced as a child.”

Beside Elliott, the season also includes Ice Cube, Miranda Lambert, Mary J. Blige, Enrique Iglesias, Adam Lambert and Ricky Martin.

Abramson said that after the network decided to revive the series in 2009, producers tried to reinvent the show by focusing on stars who are still making music and appeal to their evolving demographics — and not so much on aging musicians.

“We try to get the most relevant artists to our audience,” Abramson said. “Our audience gets younger and younger.”

Last season got the show plenty of attention when Fantasia Barrino addressed her suicide attempt for the first time; the season also featured notable specials on Jennifer Hudson, Lil Wayne and T.I. Abramson said it’s a challenge to get artists to venture into the deeply personal subject matter. “We try to respect their privacy and the family’s privacy. They are telling their life stories, so it’s appropriate to include the highs and the lows. We work with their camp to make sure it’s told with dignity and respect,” he said.

The series originally debuted in August 1997 and has profiled more than 200 musicians and events.

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— Gerrick D. Kennedy
twitter.com/GerrickKennedy

Photos (from left): Miranda Lambert. Credit: Randee St. Nicholas. Missy Elliott. Credit: Jim Cooper / Associated Press. Mary J Blige. Credit: Markus Klinko & Indrani.

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