Ella Mai | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Ella Mai Howell |
Born | London, England | 3 November 1994
Genres | R&B [1] |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 2014–present |
Labels |
|
Formerly of | Arize |
Website | ellamai |
Ella Mai Howell (born 3 November 1994) is an English R&B singer-songwriter. Her musical career began at London's British and Irish Modern Music Institute in 2014, during which time she auditioned as part of a trio on the 11th season of The X Factor . In 2015, she released her debut four-track solo extended play (EP), Troubled in October of that year. The EP and her performances on social media were discovered by American record producer DJ Mustard, who signed Mai to his record label 10 Summers Records, an imprint of Interscope Records.
From 2016 to 2018, she released three additional EPs on the label, including Time, Change, and Ready . Her self-titled debut studio album (2018) was preceded by the singles "Boo'd Up" and "Trip", which peaked at numbers five and 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. The former won Best R&B Song and a nomination for Song of the Year at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, while Mai herself was a nominee for British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards 2019. [2] That same year, she won three awards at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, including Top R&B Artist. Her second studio album, Heart on My Sleeve (2023) failed to reach the UK Albums Chart, but performed moderately on the US Billboard 200. [3] [4]
Ella Mai was born on 3 November 1994 to a Jamaican mother and an English-Irish father [5] in London. Her mother, a lover of American jazz music, named her after Ella Fitzgerald. [6] Mai moved from London to New York City at the age of 12 when her mother took on a teaching job there. Mai's transition to life in New York City was difficult because she was often bullied for her accent. [7] Mai graduated from Queens High School of Teaching in Glen Oaks, Queens, before returning to England aged 17. [5] [8]
Ella Mai's singing career began studying at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute London (BIMM London) in 2014. During that time she competed on series 11 of The X Factor as part of a trio, 'Arize', but didn't advance beyond the initial audition for the judges. The group broke up shortly thereafter.
During 2015, Ella Mai uploaded a four-track solo EP of original recorded songs to SoundCloud titled Troubled. After its release, Mai was discovered on Instagram and signed to American hip hop producer DJ Mustard's label, 10 Summers Records, which operates as part of Interscope Records. [9] In February 2016, she released Time, the first in her EP trilogy. The six-track EP included the single "She Don't", which featured Mustard's frequent collaborator, singer Ty Dolla Sign. [10] She released her second EP, Change, in November 2016 and third, Ready , in February 2017. [11] "Boo'd Up", which was featured on the EP, rose in popularity on social media as well as in nightclubs over the next few months. [12] Ella Mai toured with Kehlani on her SweetSexySavage World Tour. [13] After Mai served as the opening act on Kehlani's tour, her music reached a bigger audience and the song grew on radio airplay in the spring of 2018. [14]
On 26 April 2018, she released a music video for "Boo'd Up" after it started to gain popularity. [15] The song became her first top ten song in the US in the following month, deeming it her "breakthrough hit." [16] Rolling Stone wrote that the single is "one of the biggest singles by a breakout female R&B singer in the past 10 years." [17] The single peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, [18] and broke the record for the most weeks at number one of any song by a woman on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. [19] On 14 August, she joined Bruno Mars on the 24K Magic World Tour after Cardi B dropped out. [20]
On 3 August, she released the single "Trip", with an accompanied music video releasing on 18 September. [21] The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ella Mai released her self-titled debut album, a 16-track set featuring "Boo'd Up", on 12 October 2018, with guest appearances from Chris Brown, John Legend, and H.E.R. [22] The album sold 69,000 album-equivalent units with 17,000 coming from pure sales. [23] On 22 October 2018, Mai announced her debut tour set to begin in January 2019. [24] [25] In November, she made two guest appearances on JID's song "Tiiied", along with 6lack and on Meek Mill's song "24/7", on the albums Dicapiro 2 and Championships respectively. On 18 November, she performed on Saturday Night Live with Jezebel describing Mai as "Pure '90s R&B Heartthrob". [26] [27]
Mai was also nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song and Song of the Year with "Boo'd Up", winning for the former. [28] "Boo'd Up" would go onto to win the 2019 Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Song. [29] In 2019, Mai won the Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Artist and Top Female R&B Artist. [30] Apart from her music, Mai also performed a sketch on Nickelodeon's All That (which aired on 27 July 2019) called "Boo'd Up", a paranormal parody of The Dating Game , in which she played herself as a contestant looking for a ghost to haunt her family home, but instead of choosing the three suitors offered, she chose her former ghost who came back and she forgave him. [31]
In 2020, Mai received her third nomination for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for her self-titled debut at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
On 2 October 2020, Mai released the single, "Not Another Love Song". [32] On Friday, 28 January 2022, she released "DFMU". On 28 March 2022 Mai announced the title of her second studio album Heart on My Sleeve which was released on 6 May 2022. the album debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 making it her second top 20 on the chart.
In multiple interviews, Ella Mai names Lauryn Hill, Chris Brown, Brandy, Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys, and Mariah Carey as her biggest influences. [33] Vibe said her "perception of the powerful emotion is kindred to R&B heartthrobs of the '90s, who flooded the radio airwaves with soulful ballads, baby-making tunes, and heart-wrenching break-up anthems." [34] Rolling Stone described her sound as "a British émigré full of self-confidence and an affinity for classic Nineties R&B." [35]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [36] | AUS [37] | BEL (FL) [38] | CAN [39] | IRE [40] | NLD [41] | NZ [42] | US [43] | US R&B/ HH [44] | US R&B [45] | |||
Ella Mai |
| 18 | 19 | 94 | 16 | 55 | 31 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
Heart on My Sleeve |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 9 | 2 |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [52] | US [53] | US R&B /HH [54] | US R&B [55] | US Heat. [56] | |||||
Time |
| — | — | — | — | — | |||
Change |
| — | — | 35 | 20 | 6 | |||
Ready |
| 86 | 29 | 15 | 3 | 25 | |||
"—" denotes items which failed to chart. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [36] | AUS [60] | CAN [61] | IRE [62] | NZ [63] | US [64] | US R&B /HH [65] | US R&B [66] | US R&B/HH Airplay [67] | US Adult R&B [68] | ||||||
"She Don't" [69] (featuring Ty Dolla Sign) | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Time | |||
"10,000 Hours" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Change | ||
"Lay Up" [70] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
"Naked" [71] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | Ella Mai | ||||
"Boo'd Up" | 2018 | 52 | 46 | 43 | 85 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ready and Ella Mai | |||
"Trip" [74] | 47 | 63 | 78 | — | 22 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Ella Mai | ||||
"Shot Clock" [76] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — [upper-alpha 1] | 62 | 27 | 3 | 5 | — | ||||
"Not Another Love Song" [32] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — [upper-alpha 2] | — [upper-alpha 3] | 37 | 9 | 12 | 2 |
| Heart on My Sleeve | ||
"DFMU" [81] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — [upper-alpha 4] | 85 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| |||
"Leave You Alone" | — | — | — | — | — [upper-alpha 5] | — | — | 22 | — | — | |||||
"How" [84] (featuring Roddy Ricch) | — | — | — | — | — [upper-alpha 6] | — | — | 14 | — | — | |||||
"Keeps on Fallin'" (with Babyface) | — | — | — | — | — [upper-alpha 7] | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | Girls Night Out | ||||
"This Is" [87] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — [upper-alpha 8] | 42 | 14 | 13 | — |
| Heart on My Sleeve (Deluxe Edition) | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [36] | UK R&B [88] | NZ Hot [89] | US [64] | US R&B /HH [65] | US R&B [66] | US R&B/HH Airplay [67] | US Adult R&B [68] | ||||
"24/7" (Meek Mill featuring Ella Mai) | 2018 | 66 | 22 | 21 | 54 | 25 | — | 3 | — |
| Championships |
"What You Did" [90] (Mahalia featuring Ella Mai) | 2019 | 90 | — | 29 | — | — | 15 | 13 | 6 |
| Love and Compromise |
"Don't Waste My Time" [91] (Usher featuring Ella Mai) | — | — | 19 | — [upper-alpha 9] | — | 13 | 12 | 1 |
| Non-album single | |
"Jealous" [92] (Kiana Lede featuring Ella Mai) | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Grudges | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [36] | AUS [60] | NZ [93] | US Bub. [79] | US R&B /HH Bub. [94] | US R&B [66] | ||||
"Whatchamacallit" (featuring Chris Brown) | 2018 | 84 | 66 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 7 | Ella Mai | |
"One Bad Decision" (Mustard featuring Ella Mai and Roddy Ricch) | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Faith of a Mustard Seed | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NZ Hot [95] | US Bub. [79] | US R&B /HH Bub. [94] | US R&B [66] | ||||||||
"Anymore" | — | — | — | — |
| Ready | |||||
"Good Bad" | 2018 | — | — | — | 18 | Ella Mai | |||||
"Sauce" | 20 | — | — | 23 | |||||||
"Everything" (featuring John Legend) | 23 | — | — | 14 |
| ||||||
"Gut Feeling" (featuring H.E.R.) | 31 | 21 | 9 | 11 |
| ||||||
"Close" | — | — | — | — |
| ||||||
"Put It All on Me" [96] (Ed Sheeran featuring Ella Mai) | 2019 | — | 22 | — | — |
| No.6 Collaborations Project | ||||
"Trying" | 2022 | — | — | — | 23 | Heart on My Sleeve | |||||
"Didn't Say" (featuring Latto) | 2022 | — | — | — | 24 | ||||||
"Sex Memories" (Chris Brown featuring Ella Mai) | 11 | — | — | — | Breezy | ||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"10,000 Hours" [97] | 2016 | DJ Mustard | Cold Summer |
"Hit Me Up" [98] | 2017 | Chip | League of My Own II |
"This X-Mas" [99] | Chris Brown | Heartbreak on a Full Moon (Deluxe Edition): Cuffing Season – 12 Days of Christmas | |
"Talk to Me, Pt. II" [100] | 2018 | Craig David | The Time Is Now (Deluxe) |
"Tiiied" [101] | JID, 6LACK | DiCaprio 2 | |
"24/7" [102] | Meek Mill | Championships | |
"Love Me Like That (Champion Love)" | — | Creed II: The Album | |
"Put It All on Me" [103] | 2019 | Ed Sheeran | No.6 Collaborations Project |
"Surface" [104] | DJ Mustard, Ty Dolla Sign | Perfect Ten | |
"Piece of Me" | 2020 | Wizkid | Made in Lagos |
"IYKYK" | 2022 | Lil Durk, A Boogie wit da Hoodie | 7220 (Deluxe) |
"Sex Memories" | Chris Brown | Breezy |
American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive, and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 33 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one hit, "You Make Me Wanna...", and first US Hot 100 number-one song, "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001, with his third studio album, 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles, such as "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
American R&B singer-songwriter Chris Brown has released 11 studio albums, 1 collaborative album, 1 extended play, 9 mixtapes, 63 singles and 29 promotional singles.
The discography of Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj consists of five studio albums, one compilation album, three mixtapes, 136 singles, and 20 promotional singles.
American R&B singer Miguel has released four studio albums, twenty-three singles, four mixtapes and seven EPs.
The discography of American singer Ty Dolla Sign consists of three studio albums, two extended plays (EP), seven mixtapes and forty-four singles.
The discography of American singer Kehlani consists of four studio albums, three mixtapes, and 70 singles. Kehlani released their debut commercial mixtape, Cloud 19, exclusively on August 26, 2014, and released it on streaming services on its seven-year anniversary in 2021. They released their second commercial mixtape, You Should Be Here, on April 28, 2015, which reached number 36 on the Billboard 200. On January 27, 2017, Kehlani released their debut studio album, SweetSexySavage, which reached number three on the Billboard 200. In 2018, Kehlani was featured on American rapper Cardi B's single, "Ring", from her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy, which reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. They released their third commercial mixtape, While We Wait, on February 22, 2019, which reached number nine on the Billboard 200. On May 8, 2020, Kehlani released their second studio album, It Was Good Until It Wasn't, which debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. On April 29, 2022, they released their third studio album, Blue Water Road, which debuted and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200.
Mahalia Burkmar, known mononymously as Mahalia, is a British singer, songwriter and actress. Mahalia has released several EPs and three albums, Diary of Me (2016), Love and Compromise (2019) and IRL (2023). She also acted in the film Brotherhood (2016). She had her breakthrough in 2017 with her performance of "Sober" for the YouTube channel Colors. In 2018, she was ranked number one on YouTube's Ones to Watch list.
XXXTentacion was an American rapper who released four studio albums, one compilation album, two mixtapes, four collaborative mixtapes, ten extended plays and 29 singles. As of June 2018, he sold more than 25 million album-equivalent units in the United States. XXXTentacion was awarded for sales of over 20 million records by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of October 2020, he has sold more than 75 million records in the United States.
American rapper Kanye West has released 138 singles, four promotional singles and charted with 65 other songs.
"Boo'd Up" is the debut commercial single by English singer Ella Mai from her third extended play, Ready. Serving as the lead single for the EP, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It was a minor hit in her native UK, peaking at 52 whilst peaking within the top 50 in Australia and Canada. A remix featuring Nicki Minaj and Quavo peaked at number 8 in New Zealand. The song was written by Mai, Joelle James, Dijon "Mustard" McFarlane and Larrance Dopson of 1500 or Nothin', and produced by the latter two. It was nominated for Song of the Year and won Best R&B Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
"Focus" is a song by American singer H.E.R. released on September 8, 2016. It was included on her self-titled album released in 2017. A remix with Chris Brown, hosted by DJ Envy, was released on May 1, 2018, with Brown and H.E.R. exchanging verses.
Ready is the third EP by English singer and songwriter Ella Mai. The extended play is the third of the trilogy leading up to her debut album. It was released by 10 Summers and produced by DJ Mustard.
"Trip" is a song by English singer Ella Mai from her eponymous debut studio album. The song peaked at number 47 in the UK and number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The song was written by Mai, Varren Wade, Quinton, and Dijon MacFarlane. The single became her first number one on Billboard's Rhythmic chart in its 22 December 2018 issue.
Ella Mai is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Ella Mai, released on 12 October 2018 through 10 Summers and Interscope Records. It includes the singles "Boo'd Up" and "Trip". It is executive-produced by DJ Mustard, and features guest appearances from Chris Brown, John Legend, and H.E.R.
"Whatchamacallit" is a song by British singer Ella Mai, featuring American singer Chris Brown, released on October 4, 2018 through Interscope Records as a promotional single from her 2018 self-titled album.
American singer-songwriter H.E.R. has released one studio album, two compilation albums, five extended plays, twenty-three singles and thirteen promotional singles.
American R&B singer 6lack has released three studio albums, one extended play, and 29 singles. His released his debut studio album, Free 6lack in November 2016, which featured the single "Prblms". In September 2018, 6lack released his second album, East Atlanta Love Letter, which debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart. His third album, Since I Have a Lover, was released on March 24, 2023.
"24/7" is a song by the American rapper Meek Mill featuring English singer Ella Mai. With a sampling of "Me, Myself, and I" by Beyoncé, the song debuted and peaked at number 54 on the week of December 15, 2018, on the Billboard Hot 100, a week after the release of the album. The track was released as the second single from Meek Mill's album Championships on April 16, 2019.
American singer Summer Walker has released two studio albums, two EPs, one mixtape, thirteen singles and eight music videos.
Joelle James is an American songwriter and singer. She is best known for writing the lyric melody of Ella Mai's 2018 single "Boo'd Up", which was nominated for Song of the Year, won Best R&B Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, and is the longest charting number one R&B/Hip-Hop record for a female artist on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts since its inception in 1992. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, James was discovered by Chris Brown in 2011. Brown subsequently signed her to a label deal with CBE and Interscope Records. James has also written songs for Tamar Braxton, Saweetie, Coi Leray, and Justine Skye among others.