Itās an exciting time for Ella Mai right now. She just announced a new tour, sheās nominated for a Grammy this weekend, and sheās dropping newĀ music.
Along with the deluxe edition of her excellent sophomore album Heart On My Sleeve, out now, Ella surprised fans by debuting two of the new songs in a special live performance. Participating in Grey Goose and the Recording Academyās Sound Sessions series, the R&B star took the opportunity to do a stripped-back version of āThis Isā and ā2 OāClock.ā
āIt was a super intimate setting and I love doing stuff acoustically, just with the piano,ā she tells Complex. āI feel like it almost gives the song a new life. Iām excited that this is going to be the first time a lot of people are hearing it, and then when they listen to the actual tracks, itāll be built out with more instruments.ā
She points out that the songs are actually āthe oppositeā of each other, and they reflect two very different emotional realities. And in turn, they show the endless range of Ella as a musician.
Of course, she also made the most of the opportunity to make some drinks with Grey Goose, who are the official spirits partner of the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and will have a heavy presence at events throughout the weekend. You can watch the performance here (or below) and continue for an interview with Ella Mai about new music, the meaning of awards shows, the current state of R&B, and more.
You performed two new songs for Grey Gooseās Sound Sessions. The first is called āThis Is.ā Whatās your memory of the making of that song?
āThis isā is a really fun, lovey song, and obviously one of my favorite things to sing about is love. The song was actually written already, so I just added a pre-chorus to kind of make it my own, but it was a really quiet studio session. It was a song that Mustard loved and wanted me to be a part of, and I felt the same way about it. Itās a really feel-good song and everyone loves it, so Iām excited about it.
Do you have a favorite lyric in the song? Or a favorite musical moment?
To be honest, the whole thing. Itās major chords, and itās super happy. The chorus is obviously the part that really makes you feel good, so if I had to pick, Iād pick the chorus. Itās a very sing-along, feel-good chorus.
The other new song you performed is ā2 OāClock.ā How did that song come to life?
ā2 OāClockā is a funny story because itās produced by Kaytranada, but itās not what youād typically expect from Kaytranada. Itās not a dance song. When we first recorded it, I wasnāt too sure about it. I was like, āI donāt know if I like this. I donāt know if I do.ā And Varren Wade, who I wrote it with, was like, āIām telling you, itās great.ā But I didnāt even want to finish it. I just wasnāt feeling it. But for me, studio sessions are very much about how Iām feeling that day and I think it was just an off day for me. So regardless of what I made, it was just going to be like, āI donāt like it.ā
So I left it alone for a long time and didnāt come back to it until three months later. Then I just randomly listened to it again and I was like, āActually, this is fire.ā So we went back in and finished it properly. But ā2 OāClockā is actually the opposite of āThis Is.ā Itās very much about a situation that you know shouldnāt get back into, but you do anyway. And I think itās minor chords, so itās the complete opposite, to be honest.
You performed both of these songs as a part of Grey Gooseās Sound Sessions. What do you remember about that day and playing these songs in that setting?
Itās funny, because Iām saying theyāre two completely different songs, and you almost have to tap into a different character, but obviously we recorded them one after the other. One is super happy and then one is kind of sad. So itās really just about focusing on that emotion that I felt when I was recording those songs, to try and replicate that in the performance. And itās not hard because of how emotionally attached I feel to the songs, regardless of whether oneās happy or oneās sad. It was a super intimate setting and I love doing stuff acoustically, just with the piano. I feel like it almost gives the song a new life. Iām excited that this is going to be the first time a lot of people are hearing it, and then when they listen to the actual tracks, itāll be built out with more instruments.
Both of these songs will be on the deluxe version of Heart On My Sleeve, right? What can you tell us about the deluxe?
Yes. The deluxe is literally just an extension of all the emotions that I portrayed on the actual album. This album is very, very close to my heart, so Iām excited to be able to give it new life almost a year later with new songs that I feel really strongly about, if not stronger than the actual album. Iām just really excited to keep it going.
Now that thereās been a little more room for Heart On My Sleeve to breathe, how are you feeling about the album? What makes it stand out to you?
With my debut album, the studio was still kind of a new setting to me, and working with songwriters was still new to me. So I was really just trying stuff out and seeing what works and what doesnāt work. But I think Heart On My Sleeve was more so me being very sure of who I was as an artist at that time. I was recording it two years ago, and what I wanted to say and what I was going through in my life was super personal. I was going in and almost writing diary entries through my songs. So now that itās had time to live, any time I listen to it, it takes me back to that place that I was in when I was recording it. Itās a good feeling to remember those times, but also seeing where I am now, and still being super attached to it, even if I donāt feel necessarily the same way that I did in the music. But itās been great. I just announced my tour, which Iām really excited about. It will be the first time Iām performing all of the songs on the album, including some of the new stuff from the deluxe. Iām excited about this year. Itās going to be a good one.
What can fans expect from the tour?
This is my first solo tour in four years. My debut tour was pre-pandemic, so itās been a while. You know, I just came off tour with Mary J. Blige, but it has been a while since I headlined, and being onstage and touring is my favorite part of all of this. And to be fair, itās almost been a year since the album, so I know my fans have been like, āWhereās the tour? Whereās the tour? Whereās the tour?ā So Iām excited that I can finally get back on the road again, see all my fans, perform this new music, and just feel that energy again.
Weāre heading into the Grammys, and youāve received a lot of nominations (and a win) in the past. I know artists make music for the art first, but Iām curious, what do award shows like the Grammys mean to you?
You know, when I grew up as a little girl in England, we had the BRIT Awards, but the Grammys was always something that seemed so unattainable almost. For one, itās in America. And as a solely R&B artist, you know, R&B isnāt one of the main categories on the Grammys. But I won my first Grammy very early in my career, and it was a dream come true to be able to tick that off my list so early. So to continue to get nominations and to be able to be back at the Grammys this year, especially considering the award show has been quite different because of the pandemic, and now weāre getting back into the swing of things, itās just an exciting time for everyone to be back outside and to feel appreciated again. Like you said, we donāt do it for the awards, so to speak, but the recognition from your peers and from such a prestigious organization is always amazing.
Youāve become a mainstay in the R&B categories and a leading voice for the genre. What are your feelings on R&B as a whole at the moment? Whatās your favorite thing about it right now?
I love getting asked this question because thereās obviously the ongoing debate about R&B not being the same as it was in the ā90s, and everybody wants that old-school feel back. You know, youāre attached to music that brings back memories. People my ageāIām 28āgrew up on ā90s and 2000s R&B, so of course thatās whatās going to feel the best for us. Thatās the music from our childhood memories. So I understand why everyone wants āthat.ā But I love the state of R&B. It might be an unpopular opinion. I think itās great that there are so many different versions of it now. Thereās not just one typical R&B sound. Thereās alternative. There are so many different versions of R&B and there are so many different artists that put their own spin on it. I think thatās cool, because I donāt think that was necessarily always the case.
I think the R&B of today is very representative of the generation of today, just in terms of content. And a lot of the R&B back in the day was, I would definitely say it was a lot more musical, but we live in a computer age, so I think itās just kind of transcending with the time. Unpopular opinion, like I said, but I personally love it. I love the old-school R&B, too, but I like the new feel of it also.
You had a great year last year. When you look back on 2022, what stand stands out as a favorite memory?
Dropping the album. It had been three and a half years since I dropped my debut, and I forgot what it felt like to drop an album. Itās such an exciting feeling. You know, all the hard work that you put in for it to finally be released into the world, and just to have my fans love it as much as I did. And there was a bunch of stuff I did [last year]. I went on tour with Mary J. Blige, which is one of my favorites ever, and I was extremely honored to be able to do that. But just that feeling of being able to walk into the shopā¦ I still buy CDs, so to be able to walk into a shop and pick up my CD is always something that I dreamt of as a little girl. I know a lot of people donāt even do CDs anymore, or donāt do physicals, they just do digital stuff. But I always tell my team, I donāt care if itās five physicals that we put in a shop, I need to be able to walk into a shop and buy my CD. So, definitely the album [was my favorite memory].
What are you the most excited about as you look forward to the rest of 2023?
Everything thatās lined up. Iām excited for the Grammys. Iām honored to be nominated with Babyface, who is such a legend in my genre. But even outside of my genre, just in general, as a producer and as a songwriter. He already has [a lot of] Grammys, but to be able to be in the list of nominations with him is incredible.
Iām also extremely excited for the tour. Thatās kind of all Iām thinking about right now, because I love going on tour. Iām excited for the deluxe, like I said, and bringing new life to the album. And even once the tourās over and once the deluxe is out, I want to get back in the studio this summer and do it all over again. There are a lot of new things this year that Iām excited for.