Mary J. Blige says her sunglasses range is an "extension" of herself.

The singer recently launched her debut line of eyewear, entitled Melodies by MJB, and says designer sunglasses have always been something she wanted to do because she owns so many pairs. Mary - who also has her own fragrance, My Life - said, "I have probably 1000 pairs of sunglasses. If you look back at my history you'll see me with glasses, lots of shades from Chanel to Christian Dior to Gucci. Sunglasses are an extension of me, just like the fragrance I did is an extension of me. I only do things that I know, that I've done for years."

Mary has previously said she was inspired to do an eyewear line as she was bombarded with so many requests: "Eyewear and perfume are different, but you have to put the same amount of work in. You have to be creative, come up with ideas and be inspired - just like with a song. Sunglasses bestow a certain mysterious look like a Bond girl. People were always saying, 'You should do an eyewear line.' So I said, 'Let's do it.' I want women to be able to hide behind their glasses but also be fashion-forward and comfortable. I didn't make any Grandma glasses."