Top 35 Ella Mai Quotes

Not everybody gets to wake up and do what they love.

A lot of ‘Time’ was actually about a friend’s relationship and me seeing what she went through and how she felt.

As much as a lot of my music is very R&B, there’s a bounce to it that obviously makes it easier to perform live. It’s upbeat and uptempo.

I always felt like I could go to my mom and speak to her about anything. We have a great relationship.

There’s a lot of young females doing R&B in England who are extremely talented and deserve more light on their stories.

I could never have imagined that, so early in my career, that I’d be ticking off boxes that I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl.

L.A. is so slow. Everyone is so chill, and the weather, of course, makes everything better, but it’s just a different vibe.

I think originality is something that’s important and catches people’s eye.

I’m very big on feeling.

I’ve always been singing. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been singing.

When you’re in love, your heart and your mind are in sync, and everything just feels right. It’s a special feeling.

I was 12 years old when I first moved to New York, and at that age, you’re trying to find yourself. It was hard being so different from everyone I was around, and I felt that nobody could really understand me because everyone was American, and I was this little English girl with an accent.

The first time I found out that ‘Boo’d Up’ went platinum, I was handed the plaque. They really surprised me. I thought we were gold, and then Mustard and my managers brought the plaque to my rehearsals and told me. I was like, ‘You are lying!’ Like, I couldn’t believe it. I’m just honored, honestly. It’s a great feeling.

I played soccer for nine years, so I took that route instead of singing. I played on the outside team as well as in school, so I was always playing soccer. It wasn’t until I moved back to London that I really, like, started investing in music again and realized, OK, yeah, this is definitely what I want to do.

I think R&B is way bigger in America. It’s not really that mainstream in the U.K.

I write in a diary every night to collect my thoughts. It’s very therapeutic to songwrite, because it’s the same thing.

I’m big on self-confidence.

When I went into high school, I don’t know why – because I’ve been performing since I was little – but I think it was just the pressure of being somewhere so different, and I already stood out because I had an accent, and everyone always wanted you to talk, that I kind of shied away from singing a bit.

I always say that when you have friends that are girls, you tell each other everything.

Sometimes we misinterpret, sometimes we misunderstand, sometimes we make mistakes.

I definitely believe that there are songs that, as artists, we don’t know the full potential.

I think it’s harder for R&B to break in England because the radio and labels don’t really know what to do with R&B music.

My mom used to play a lot of music around the house, and I think that’s where I get my inspiration from.

Everyone in L.A. loves sushi, and I don’t understand it at all.

I’m someone who likes routine.

‘Naked’ embodies what everyone, at the end of the day, really wants and how they should feel.

With social media especially, there’s a lot of image issues that everyone faces because there’s so much pressure on us.

A lot of people say ‘Boo’d Up’ reminds them of ’90s R&B. It has that feeling, which is why I think people take to the song so much.

I’ve learned a lot. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve grown a lot.

To find out my song made the top 10 was honestly a dream come true. I think it’s something that I’ve dreamed about, and anyone dreams about, their whole life.

There’s a place for R&B in the U.K. industry – a huge market. I hope that ‘Boo’d Up’ can be a testament to the fact. Sometimes, it takes you moving outside the box to prove that it can be done.

‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ happens to be my favorite album.

It’s been cool to have my name mentioned when people say R&B is on the comeback and I’m the leading person. If you had told me at 16 that I would be that person – you’re lying.

There’s loads of eyes and expectations. People are almost waiting for you to make a mistake so they can say, ‘Oh, she’s a one-hit wonder!’

It’s okay to wake up and look however you look. You are beautiful regardless.