Ella Mai Howell, born November 3, 1994, in London, England, began her music career in 2014 at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She auditioned for the 11th season of The X Factor as part of the trio Arize, which disbanded after failing to advance. In 2015, she self-released the EP Troubled on SoundCloud, leading to a signing with DJ Mustard's 10 Summers Records imprint of Interscope. She followed with EPs Time (2016), Change (2016), and Ready? (2017). Her self-titled debut album arrived in October 2018, featuring singles 'Boo'd Up', which reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best R&B Song, and 'Trip.' The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album in 2020. She won Billboard Music Awards in 2019 for Top R&B Artist, Top Female R&B Artist, and Top R&B Song. Her second album, Heart on My Sleeve, was released in 2022, debuting at number 15 on the Billboard 200. Ella Mai performs R&B with influences from artists like Lauryn Hill. She has headlined tours including The Debut Tour (2019–2020) and Heart on My Sleeve Tour (2023).