British vocalist and songwriter Ella Mai is best known for her single ‘Boo’d Up’ from her EP ‘Ready.’ When she was 12 years old, she migrated to New York with her family from London, where she was born and raised. She appeared on ‘The X Factor’ in 2014, but failed to advance beyond the preliminary rounds. She then published her music through social media. She uploaded her music to ‘SoundCloud’ and released short videos on ‘Instagram.’ Slowly, the ruse paid off, and DJ Mustard eventually offered her a contract with ’10 Summers Records.’ The label released her debut EP, titled ‘Time,’ in early 2016. She subsequently issued the EPs ‘Change’ and ‘Ready.’ The third EP’s single ‘Boo’d Up’ became a major success and peaked at number five on the ‘Billboard Hot 100’ chart. In 2018, she was nominated for an ‘MTV Video Music Award.’ This helped her advance her music industry career. Ella announced in 2018 that she was preparing her debut album, which could be published in October 2018.
Youth and Early Life
Ella Mai was born in England on November 3, 1994, to a Jamaican mother and an Irish father. She spent her early years in Mitcham, a southern London neighborhood. Her mother was her greatest source of motivation throughout her adolescence. Her mother frequently played old classic jazz melodies, which she became addicted to. Ella became devoted to music without knowing that it would one day become her life’s work.
Her mother was a teacher, which aided Ella academically to some degree. Ella was always interested in singing and other performing arts as a child. She was also an outgoing youngster. This prompted Ella’s mother to enroll her in a performing arts school. There, she received training in acting, dance, and singing. Her mother’s occupation required her to frequently relocate. Ella was 12 years old when her mother was reassigned to a New York school. Thus, Ella stepped into the US for the first time in her life. She was initially ridiculed for her accent and appearance, which made her an introverted child.
During her time in New York, she temporarily shifted her focus away from music and toward soccer. She also played soccer in London. By the time she graduated, Ella had developed a keen interest in music and begun to compose her own compositions. She remained in New York until her graduation, after which she returned to London. Ella immediately enlisted in a local music college and began honing her musical abilities upon her return. By that time, she was certain of her desire to become a musician. However, the path to her aspirations was not straightforward.
Early Profession Of Ella
In 2014, at the age of 20, she made contact with a few similar females and joined a music group called ‘Arize.’ The trio diligently auditioned for the eleventh season of the music reality program ‘The X Factor’. They performed their rendition of a melodic melody. Although their performance was decent, they were unable to pass the audition stage.
Following this catastrophic failure, the group disbanded, and Ella began again from zero. She began to record and compose her own music. She also produced some of her music, with assistance from her New York-based music producer friend DJ Kam1.
She recorded several songs and compiled them into an EP titled ‘Troubled,’ which was uploaded to ‘SoundCloud.’ However, ‘SoundCloud’ did not garner sufficient prominence. Soon, she began posting Instagram videos of her renditions of Drake and Kanye West songs. This contributed to her Instagram celebrity status. DJ Mustard was a prominent figure in the US underground music community, and he had long been a fan of Ella’s music. In August 2015, he finally contacted her via Instagram. Soon, Ella’s life changed.
Professional Profession Of Ella
DJ Mustard owned ’10 Summer Records,’ an imprint of ‘Interscope Records,’ one of the largest record publishers in the United States. The label offered her a recording contract. When she arrived in Los Angeles, her natural talent and limited studio experience helped her connect with some genuinely talented record producers. She began working under DJ Mustard’s guidance and released her debut EP, ‘Time,’ in February 2016. DJ Mustard produced the EP and advised her on lyrical and other aspects of music production. The EP consisted of six tracks and lasted 20 minutes, which was considered a short length for an EP. However, the EP received a generally positive reception, which encouraged Ella to pursue a career in music.
“Time” became a popular underground song. It belonged to the R&B genre, and its innovative music and lyrics were praised. In response to its triumph, Ella began recording her second EP. It took Ella a long time to create her sophomore EP, ‘Change,’ which was released in November 2016. Several compositions on the EP were produced by DJ Mustard, with contributions from Twice as Nice. This EP, which was 18 minutes long and comprised five singles, was shorter than the previous one.
The EP debuted at number eight on the ‘US Top Heatseekers’ chart. It also peaked at number 20 on the ‘US R&B Albums’ chart and number 38 on the ‘Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums’ one. respectively. Soon thereafter, Ella began working on the final EP in the trilogy, which catapulted her to a much greater level of renown. In February of 2017, she released her EP titled ‘Ready.’ It was an immediate success upon its release. The EP, which was produced by DJ Mustard, peaked at number three on the ‘US R&B Albums’ chart. It remained in the top 30 of numerous additional R&B and hip-hop charts. The album lasted 21 minutes and contained six tracks.
Numerous critics praised the album’s daring approach to love and DJ Mustard’s innovative production. ‘Boo’d Up,’ one of the tracks on the EP, became a youth anthem. Ella published the official music video for the song on her ‘Vevo’ channel on April 26, 2018. The video received over a million “views” in just a few days after its release. The single topped the chart of ‘US Hot R&B Songs’. Ella, ecstatic with the success of her EP trilogy, has announced that her debut album will be released in October 2018.
Personal Facts About Ella
Ella Mai is renowned for her heartbreak-themed, soulful compositions. However, she is extremely private about her relationships and has not yet made any of them public. Ella considers herself to be a tomboy and claims to be the least feminine girl imaginable.
Estimated Net Worth
The English singer-songwriter Ella Mai has a net worth of $6 million. Ella Mai was born in November 1994 in London, England. Her musical genres consist of R&B, hip-hop, and mainstream. In 2016, she released the EP Time. The 2016 EP Change by Ella Mai peaked at #8 on the US Heatseekers chart and #20 on the US R&B chart.