Ella Mai (album)

Ella Mai is the self-titled debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Ella Mai, released on 12 October 2018 through 10 Summers and Interscope Records.[9] It includes the singles "Boo'd Up" and "Trip".[9] It is executive-produced by DJ Mustard, and features guest appearances from Chris Brown, John Legend, and H.E.R..[9]

Ella Mai
Studio album by Ella Mai
Released	12 October 2018
Recorded	2017–2018
Genre	R&B[1]
Length	52:06
Label	10 Summers Interscope
Producer	Andrew Groziuso Bryan-Michael Cox Dimi Sloane Sesson II DJ Mustard Giscard Friedman Harmony Samuels J Holt Kosine Lido Miykal Snoddy Nana Rogues Omer Fedi Quinton Gulledge Rance Thomas Strahle
Ella Mai chronology
Ready (2017) Ella Mai (2018)
Singles from Ella Mai
"Boo'd Up" Released: 20 February 2018 "Trip" Released: 3 August 2018 "Shot Clock" Released: 29 January 2019

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Albumism	[3]
The Guardian	[4]
The Observer	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Pitchfork	6.6/10[7]
NME	[8]

"Boo'd Up" was originally included on Mai's 2017 EP Ready and reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 2018.[10] The follow-up single, "Trip", released in August 2018, has reached number 11.[10] After her own headline tour of the United States, Mai appeared as a supporting act on dates of Bruno Mars' 24K Magic World Tour from 4 October leading up to the release of the album.[11] The album debuted in the top 20 in the UK and at number five on the US Billboard 200. The album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

In August 2018, DJ Mustard explained to Billboard that upon signing Mai, there was a plan to make three EPs and see if any of the songs caught enough public attention to make an album.[12] Following the success of "Boo'd Up", DJ Mustard said: "So the plan worked. What people don't understand, this is like my little sister. This project coming is like my baby. I'm pressing for it more than my own shit. It's all about her right now."[12]

Music

The album has been called a "throwback R&B record".[1]

Commercial performance

Ella Mai debuted at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming her first entry on that chart.[13]

In the United States, the album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, earning 69,000 album-equivalent units (including 17,000 were pure album sales) in its first week. This became Mai's highest entry on the chart.[14] On October 23, 2018, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[15] The album was certified only two weeks after being released.

Track listing

Adapted from Tidal, Mai's Twitter, DJ Mustard's Instagram, ASCAP, and BMI.[16][17]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Emotion"	Myles Jason Howell		0:12
2.	"Good Bad"	J. Warner Ella Mai Nana Rogues	Rogues	3:49
3.	"Dangerous"	Bryan-Michael Cox Charles 'Prince Charlez' Hinshaw Mai	Cox	4:39
4.	"Sauce"	Quintin Gulledge Mai Dijon McFarlane Varren Wade	DJ Mustard Gulledge^[b]	3:04
5.	"Whatchamacallit" (featuring Chris Brown)	Christopher Brown McFarlane Sam Hook Jordan Holt Mai	DJ Mustard Holt^[a]	3:00
6.	"Cheapshot"	Harmony Samuels Mai Wade Shawn Butler Edgar Etienne	H*Money	4:01
7.	"Shot Clock"	Micah Aubrey Graham McFarlane Mai Jahron Brathwaite Benjamin Bush Stephen Garrett Timothy Mosley	DJ Mustard	3:21
8.	"Boo'd Up"	Mai Joelle James McFarlane Larrance "Rance" Dopsin	DJ Mustard Rance^[a]	3:59
9.	"Everything" (featuring John Legend)	McFarlane Gulledge Mai Jeff Shum Dayyon Alexander	Rush Hr. DJ Mustard^[a] Gulledge^[b]	3:01
10.	"Own It"	David Brown Mai Marocs Palacios Miykal Snoddy Eric Bishop Billy Moss	Kosine Snoddy	4:11
11.	"Run My Mouth"	McFarlane Mai Harloe	DJ Mustard	2:35
12.	"Gut Feeling" (featuring H.E.R.)	McFarlane Caroline Ailin Gabriella Wilson Mai Brandon Treyshun Campbell Gulledge	DJ Mustard Gulledge^[b]	3:56
13.	"Trip"	McFarlane Mai Wade Gulledge	DJ Mustard Gulledge ^[b]	3:34
14.	"Close"	Mai Wade McFarlane Bulledge	DJ Mustard Gulledge^[b]	4:12
15.	"Easy"	Peder Losnegård Mai Charles McFarlane Robbie Grey Gary McDowell Richard Brown Michael Conroy Stephen Walker Gulledge	Lido DJ Mustard^[a] Gulledge^[b]	4:32
Total length:				52:06

Digital bonus track / Target exclusive track & Japanese Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Naked"	Samuel Jean Mai McFarlane Hook Daniel Jean Omer Fedi Paul Jean Nathalie Jean Timothy Jean Dimi Sloane Sesson II Giscard Friedman Andrew Groziuso	DJ Mustard Fedi^[a] Groziuso^[a] Sesson II^[a] Friedman^[a]	3:17

Japanese bonus tracks[18]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
17.	"Boo'd Up (Remix)" (featuring Nicki Minaj & Quavo)	Mai Joelle James McFarlane Larrance "Rance" Dopsin Onika Maraj Quavo Marshall	3:37
Total length:			59:07

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer

Samples

• "Shot Clock" contains an interpolation of "Legend" performed by Drake, written by Aubrey Graham, PartyNextDoor, Benjamin Bush, Static Major, Quentin Miller and Timbaland.
• "Own It" contains samples from "T-Shirt & Panties" performed by Adina Howard featuring Jamie Foxx, written by Jamie Foxx and Billy Moss.
• "Easy" contains an interpolation of "I Melt with You" performed by Modern English, written by Robbie Grey, Gary McDowell Richard Brown, Michael Conroy and Stephen Walker.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[16]

Performance Ella Mai – main artist Chris Brown – featured artist (track 5) John Legend – featured artist (track 9) H.E.R. – featured artist (track 12) MUSYCA Children's Choir– vocals (track 15) Production Nana Rogues – production (track 2) Bryan-Michael Cox – production (track 3) DJ Mustard – production (tracks 4–5, 7–8, 11–14, and 16), co-production (tracks 9 and 15) Harmony Samuels – production (track 6) Kosine – production (track 10) Miykal Snoddy – production (track 10) Lido – production (track 15) Quintin Gulledge – additional production (tracks 4, 9, and 12–15) J Holt – co-production (track 5) Rance – co-production (track 8) Andrew Groziuso – co-production (track 16) Dimi Sloane Sesson II – co-production (track 16) Giscard Friedman – co-production (track 16) Omer Fedi – co-production (track 16) Thomas Strahle – co-production (track 16)

Instrumentation Marlon M. Williams – guitar (track 9) Technical Jaycen Joshua – mixing (tracks 2–7, 9–16) Jacob Richards – mixing (track 13) Mike Seaberg – mixing (track 13) Rashawn McLean – mixing (tracks 1 and 13) Chris Athens – mastering (tracks 1–7, 9–15)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 19 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 94 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[21] 168 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[22] 16 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[23] 31 Irish Albums (IRMA)[24] 55 Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[25] 89 Japan Top Download Albums (Billboard)[26] 1 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[27] 159 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[28] 7 UK Albums (OCC)[13] 18 US Billboard 200[14] 5 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[29] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[30] 75 Chart (2019) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[31] 29 US Billboard 200[32] 41 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[33] 20 Chart (2020) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[34] 50 US Billboard 200[35] 193

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36]	Gold	7,500
United Kingdom (BPI)[37]	Silver	60,000
United States (RIAA)[38]	Platinum	1,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Clark, Trent (21 September 2018). "Ella Mai Reveals Self-Titled Debut Album Cover Art & Release Date". HipHopDX. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
2. "Reviews and Tracks for Ella Mai by Ella Mai". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
3. Hicks, Kenneth. "Ella Mai Transcends Hefty Expectations by Crafting Diverse, Dynamic Eponymous Debut". Albumism. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
4. No, Name. "Ella Mai: Ella Mai review – Boo'd Up singer's R&B statement of intent". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
5. "Ella Mai: Ella Mai review – a missed opportunity". theguardian.com, The Observer. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
6. Leight, Ellias. "Review: Ella Mai Shows 'Boo'd Up' Is No Fluke on Debut LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
7. Myers, Owen. "Review: Ella Mai". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
8. Mylrea, Hannah. "Ella Mai – 'Ella Mai' review". nme. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
9. Yoo, Noah (21 September 2018). "Ella Mai Announces Debut Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
10. "Ella Mai Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
11. "Ella Mai Reveals Release Date, Cover Art for Debut Album". Rap-Up. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
12. Saponara, Michael (21 September 2018). "Ella Mai Announces Eponymous Debut Album Release Date and Cover Art". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
14. Caulfield, Keith (21 October 2018). "'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
16. • "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
    • @ellamai (3 October 2018). "Ella Mai. October 12th" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 January 2018 – via Twitter.
    • https://www.instagram.com/p/BoelTbpBGci/
17. • "BMI | Repertoire Search". repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
    • "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
18. "エラ・メイ". Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
19. "Australiancharts.com – Ella Mai – Ella Mai". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
20. "Ultratop.be – Ella Mai – Ella Mai" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
21. "Ultratop.be – Ella Mai – Ella Mai" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
22. "Rap Dominates This Week's Chart, But A Star Is Born Remains No. 1". FYIMusicNews. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Ella Mai – Ella Mai" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
24. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Ella Mai". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
25. "Ella Mai on Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
26. "Billboard Japan Top Download Albums". Billboard Japan. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
27. "Ella Mai". Oricon. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
28. "Charts.nz – Ella Mai – Ella Mai". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
29. "Ella Mai Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
30. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
31. "Top Selling Albums of 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
32. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
33. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
34. "Top Selling Albums of 2020". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
35. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
36. "New Zealand album certifications – Ella Mai – Ella Mai". Recorded Music NZ. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
37. "British album certifications – Ella Mai – Ella Mai". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Ella Mai in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
38. "American album certifications – Ella Mai – Ella Mai". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 January 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.