Mary J. Blige sings Sam Smith's praises

LOS ANGELES — Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige will reprise their duet version of Smith's smash Stay With Me on Sunday's Grammy Awards telecast (CBS, 8-11 p.m. ET, tape-delayed PT).

The two singers previously have performed the song together in concert twice, at New York's Apollo Theater and at London's Somerset House. They also released a studio duet of the song-of-the-year nominee last summer.

"Some people just have a beautiful spirit, and you can feel their spirit and see their heart," Blige said after rehearsing the song Friday at the Staples Center. "Sam is not afraid to be honest. I love that about him. Not only is his voice amazing, you get raw emotion and whatever he's dealing with coming through that song. So he's a true artist. He's not afraid to be vulnerable, he's not afraid to be who he is, and he's not afraid to express that. He's not afraid to be a beautiful."

Blige says she met Smith at a Disclosure show, and he ended up co-writing four songs on Blige's The London Sessions album, released in November.

"He's amazing as a writer," Blige says. "He allows you to see him as he's writing for you, and it makes you comfortable enough to open up and share lyrics with him. He's one of the most amazing writers in a very long time."

Smith is up for six Grammys this year, including all of the Big Four — best new artist and album, record and single of the year. Blige, a nine-time Grammy winner, is up for one this year as the featured singer on Disclosure's F for You, up for best dance recording.

Blige plans to announce a tour soon, and she'll also appear on an upcoming episode of Empire. "I don't play Mary J. Blige," she says. "I play Angie." Blige says she's a big fan of Fox's new hit drama. "I haven't seen TV like this since we were kids watching Dynasty with our parents."