Source: Variety / Getty
One of the brightest young stars in the music industry turns 29 today! Check out some of her most gorgeous photos below! Ella Mai was born in London to a Jamaican mother and English/Irish father. Singing was bound to be a part of her life because her mother named her after the legendary Ella Fitzgerald. At the age of 12 when her mother took a teaching job, she moved from London to New York City. She graduated from Queens High School of Teaching before returning back to England.
In 2014, Ella’s music career got its start at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute London (BIMM London). Around the same time, she competed on series 11 of The X Factor as part of a trio called ‘Arize.’ The group didn’t advance beyond the initial audition for the judges and subsequently broke up shortly after. The following year, Mai uploaded a four-track solo EP of original recorded songs titled Troubled to SoundCloud. The release got the attention of super producer DJ Mustard on Instagram. Ella went on to sign to his label 10 Summers Records and Interscope Records.
Between February 2016 and February 2017, Ella released the EPs Time, Change and Ready. The last EP featured the break out hit “Boo’d Up” which began to gain popularity on social media and in nightclubs. After serving as the opener on Kehlani’s SweetSexySavage World Tour, her music began to reach a much a bigger audience and the “Boo’d Up” grew on radio airplay. After releasing a video for it in April 2018, the song became her first top ten song in the US. It peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and broke the record for the most weeks at number one of any song any a woman on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Following the success of the song, she replaced Cardi B on the 24k Magic World Tour with Bruno Mars.
On October 12, 2018 Ella Mai released her self-titled debut album. The album featured guest appearances from Chris Brown, John Legend and H.E.R and sold 69,000 album equivalent units. The album earned her two Grammy nominations: Best R&B Song and Song of the Year with “Boo’d Up”, winning the former. “Boo’d Up” went on to win the 2019 Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Song. The same year, she won the Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Artist and Top Female R&B Artist. The self-titled album received a Grammy nomination in 2020 for Best R&B Album. Earlier this year, Mai released her second album Heart on My Sleeve. The album debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200, making it awe second top 20 on the chart. Ella Mai is known for her soulful ballads, baby-making tunes, and heart-wrenching break-up anthems and on her special day, we celebrate the hitmaker with some of her most gorgeous photos. HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY ELLA MAI!
