Ella Mai

Biography

Ella Mai Howell (born 3 November 1994) is a British R&B singer and songwriter. A Grammy award winner, her career began at London's British and Irish Modern Music Institute. In 2014, 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×Troubled15 January 2015 · EP · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Thoughts [Prelude]2:082Left Me3:273I Wish4:354Wanted4:53 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 label 10 Summers Records, an imprint of Interscope Records.
Her third EP, Ready×Ready22 February 2017 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Boo’d Up4:162Breakfast in Bed3:573Nobody Else3:004My Way3:115Makes Me Wonder3:306Anymore3:55 (2017), spawned the single "Boo'd Up". A sleeper hit, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and was followed by "Trip", which peaked at number 11. The former won Best R&B Song and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards; both songs preceded the release of her self-titled debut studio album (2018), which peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200.
Her second album, Heart on My Sleeve×Heart on My Sleeve6 May 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Trying3:172Not Another Love Song4:153Didn’t Say4:064Break My Heart3:155Fallen Angel4:226How3:387Pieces3:198DFMU3:189Hide3:2810Power of a Woman3:3411A Mess3:5412Feels Like3:2013Leave You Alone3:2914Sink or Swim3:5515Fading Out3:35 (2022), failed to reach the UK Albums Chart, but performed moderately on the US Billboard 200, promoted by the single "DFMU", which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. Her third studio album Do You Still Love Me?×Do You Still Love Me?6 February 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1There Goes My Heart3:3321003:543My Mind2:524Somebody’s Son3:405Little Things2:526Outside2:537Audio Message0:398Luckiest Man3:559Might Just3:4310Tell Her3:1911Bonus3:5012First Day3:3413Chasing Circles4:0814No Angels2:52 was published in February 2026, promoted by singles "Tell Her×Tell Her29 August 2025 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Tell Her3:19" and "Little Things".
Mai was nominated for British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards 2019. That same year, she won three awards at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, including Top R&B Artist, three IHeartRadio Music Awards, three NAACP Image Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards, including the Songwriter's Award.

Early life and education

Ella Mai was born on 3 November 1994 to a Jamaican mother and an English-Irish father in London. Her mother, a lover of American jazz music, named her after Ella Fitzgerald. 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. Mai graduated from Queens High School of Teaching in Glen Oaks, Queens, before returning to England aged 17.

Career

Ella Mai's singing career began while 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.

2015–2019: Debut album

During 2015, Ella Mai uploaded a four-track solo EP of original recorded songs to SoundCloud titled Troubled×Troubled15 January 2015 · EP · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Thoughts [Prelude]2:082Left Me3:273I Wish4:354Wanted4:53. 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. 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. She released her second EP, Change×Change18 November 2016 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Down4:112Who Knew3:40310,000 Hours3:474Lay Up2:405Found3:06, in November 2016 and third, Ready×Ready22 February 2017 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Boo’d Up4:162Breakfast in Bed3:573Nobody Else3:004My Way3:115Makes Me Wonder3:306Anymore3:55, in February 2017. "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. Ella Mai toured with Kehlani on her SweetSexySavage World Tour. 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.

On 26 April 2018, she released a music video for "Boo'd Up" after it started to gain popularity. The song became her first top ten song in the US in the following month, deeming it her "breakthrough hit". Rolling Stone wrote that the single is "one of the biggest singles by a breakout female R&B singer in the past 10 years." The single peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, 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. On 14 August, she joined Bruno Mars on the 24K Magic World Tour after Cardi B dropped out.
On 3 August, she released the single "Trip", with an accompanied music video releasing on 18 September. The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ella Mai released her debut album Ella Mai, a 16-track set featuring "Boo'd Up", on 12 October 2018, with guest appearances from Chris Brown, John Legend, and H.E.R. The album sold 69,000 album-equivalent units with 17,000 coming from pure sales. On 22 October 2018, Mai announced her debut tour set to begin in January 2019.
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".
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. "Boo'd Up" would go onto to win the 2019 Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Song. In 2019, Mai won the Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Artist and Top Female R&B Artist.
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. In 2020, Mai received her third nomination for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for her debut album at the 62nd Grammy Awards.

2020–present: Heart on My Sleeve and Do You Still Love Me?

On 2 October 2020, Mai released the single, "Not Another Love Song×Not Another Love Song2 October 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Not Another Love Song3:38". 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×Heart on My Sleeve6 May 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Trying3:172Not Another Love Song4:153Didn’t Say4:064Break My Heart3:155Fallen Angel4:226How3:387Pieces3:198DFMU3:189Hide3:2810Power of a Woman3:3411A Mess3:5412Feels Like3:2013Leave You Alone3:2914Sink or Swim3:5515Fading Out3:35 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 2023 she embraced the Heart on My Sleeve Tour in North America.
In November 2024, following the birth of her son, her first child with Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum, she issued 3, her fifth extended play, as a surprise project to commemorate her 30th birthday. Lead single "Little Things" became another top ten hit on the R&B charts for Mai, and served as a precursor to her third studio album, Do You Still Love Me?×Do You Still Love Me?6 February 2026 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1There Goes My Heart3:3321003:543My Mind2:524Somebody’s Son3:405Little Things2:526Outside2:537Audio Message0:398Luckiest Man3:559Might Just3:4310Tell Her3:1911Bonus3:5012First Day3:3413Chasing Circles4:0814No Angels2:52, which was released in February 2026.

Personal life

In 2024, Mai and basketball player Jayson Tatum had a son.

Artistry

In multiple interviews, Ella Mai names Lauryn Hill, Chris Brown, Brandy, Beyoncé, Destiny's Child, Alicia Keys, and Mariah Carey as her biggest influences. 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." Rolling Stone described her sound as "a British émigré full of self-confidence and an affinity for classic Nineties R&B."

Headlining

The Debut Tour (2019–2020)
Heart on My Sleeve Tour (2023)
Do you still love me? Tour (2026)

Opening act

Kehlani – SweetSexySavage Tour (2017)
Ariana Grande – Sweetener World Tour (European Leg) (2019)
Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous Tour (2022)