Ella Mai, the British singer and songwriter popular for her R&B and soul music, comes from a different ethnic background as her parents are Irish and Jamaican.
As one of the two kids of her folks, she never misses the chance to praise her mom and the way she raised her and her brother, Miles.
On the other hand, Ella has rarely talked about her dad, and nobody knows why.
Ella, who is now a mother herself, enjoys significant time with her better half and their adorable baby.
Ella Mai’s parents split when she was young and she idolizes her mom!
The singer was born to her parents on November 3, 1994, in London, England. She is one of the two children of her folks and has a brother.
When she and her brother were young, the singer’s parents ended their marriage. The reason remains unknown and her dad has neither appeared in the media nor has she talked about him.
On the other hand, her social media posts dedicated to her mom suggest that they share a close bond. For instance, in 2017, she shared a black and white photo of her and said that they might be long-lost twins due to their uncanny resemblance.
Ella also never fails to show affection to her birth-giver, be it by dedicating songs to her or offering compliments. Once during one of her performances live on stage, Ella dedicated a song to her mama and held her hands as she stood alongside her.
Her mama never had any other relationship other than with her dad. As a single parent, Ella’s mother ensured she and her brother got everything they wanted.
Even after being a mom, she continued her education and holds a master’s degree. As the daughter of a determined mother, this quality greatly influenced Ella’s identity and character.
Ella Mai’s mom played a significant part in shaping her music career!
As a little girl growing up in South London, Ella used to idolize Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, and Lauryn Hill. She, in fact, learned to braid her hair and play piano because of Keys.
Her mama is a big jazz fan and this prompted her to name Ella after Ella Fitzerald and her brother after Mark Davis.
At the age of 12, when she was in the eighth grade, they all moved to New York so that her mama could take a teaching job.
Before moving to New York, her mom enrolled her in a performing arts school. But the move took her far out of her comfort zone as she faced culture shock.
She revealed in an interview, “All the girls hated me. I didn’t sing, I didn’t want anymore attention. It was really frustrating.“
The singer’s mom then taught her the importance of self-love and valuing how she wanted to be treated.
Not just her mom, Ella’s brother also played an important role in helping shape her music. She called him asking for help to write some of the stuff she needed to do skits on her album since he is a really good writer.
The brother-sister duo sat there on the phone and wrote them out. They speak every day and share a close bond.
Addition Information
- Upon moving to New York, Ella Mai had to deal with bullying at school for her British accent. She never knew why the girls hated her. She eventually graduated from Queens High School of Teaching and returned to England at 17.
- She had competed on series 11 of The X Factor, as one of the members of a trio, Arize. But the group didn’t advance beyond the initial audition and eventually broke off.
- Ella Mai is in a relationship with her boyfriend, Jayson Tatum, the Bostin Celtics star. The couple welcomed their first child in August 2024.
- The basketball player and the singer debuted their baby during a family photo shoot in honor of Tatum’s team defeating France in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
