Ella Mai Announces New Album ‘Heart on My Sleeve’

Ella Mai is ready to pour out her heart.

The R&B songstress has announced that her long-awaited sophomore album Heart on My Sleeve will arrive on May 6. Along with the title and release date, she revealed the cover art.

“i poured my whole heart into this album, more so than ever before,” Ella told fans. “i am overly excited for this sophomore journey. let’s do it all over again!”

In January, she released the lead single “DFMU.” She has also been in the studio with Mustard and Pharrell as she readies the follow-up to her self-titled 2018 debut, which will showcase her vulnerability and be “more R&B.”

“It’s still me and it’s elevated,” Ella told Billboard. “When I released my debut album, I was 23 about to be 24, and now I’m about to be 27. Just in life, I’m a different woman. I’m more mature and I’ve experienced different things than I did when I was a 23-year-old. I’m more sure of myself as an artist. I’ve been able to tour the world and I think that opens your eyes up a lot more. It’s me still and it’s just an elevated version.”

She also recently linked up with “her favorite rapper,” J. Cole. “To be fair to Cole, the session wasn’t even mostly making music,” shared Ella. “It was speaking and having conversations about different experiences. Obviously, we did make music too but I said to him, ‘If nothing ever comes of this, I really appreciate that you’ve been so open and honest with me. The conversations were super inspiring.’”