Now Playing
Interscope RecordsElla Mai is making history with her breakout hit “Boo’d Up,” and she’s proud to be in the forefront of the resurgence of R&B.
“It’s been cool to have my name mentioned when people say R&B is on the comeback and I’m the leading person,” Mai tells Vulture.com. “If you had told me at 16 that I would be that person…you’re lying.”
Now at 23 years old, Mai is at number one on three Billboard charts with “Bood’d Up”: Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Adult R&B Songs, and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, She’s the first woman to sit at the top of all three charts simultaneously since Beyonce did with “Love On Top” in 2012.
“To be honest, we didn’t know that ‘Boo’d Up’ was gonna be the song to do what it’s doing right now,” Mai says. “R&B has been on the back burner for so long.”
She believes “Boo’d’ Up” has become so popular because it’s romantic, yet innocent..
“As much as heartbreak music might be therapeutic, we all want love and long for that feeling. So if a song can give you that feeling, even without being in love, that’s amazing,” she says.
“It’s filling a void,” she adds. “I’m just glad people have this connection to a love song, especially in this world we live in. This is what we need.”
Mai is now preparing for her 15-city Boo’d Up tour which kicks off August 6 in Dallas, and continues through August 28 in Seattle.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
