Heart on My Sleeve (album)

Heart on My Sleeve is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Ella Mai, released on 6 May 2022 through 10 Summers and Interscope Records.[5] The album was executive-produced by Mustard and Meko Yohannes, and features guest appearances from Latto, Roddy Ricch, and Lucky Daye.[5] It serves as the follow-up to Mai's 2018 self-titled debut album.

Heart on My Sleeve
Studio album by
Released6 May 2022 (2022-05-06)
Recorded2019–2021
GenreR&B[1]
Length54:43
Label
Producer
Ella Mai chronology
Ella Mai
(2018)
Heart on My Sleeve
(2022)
Singles from Heart on My Sleeve
  1. "Not Another Love Song"
    Released: 2 October 2020
  2. "DFMU"
    Released: 28 January 2022
  3. "Leave You Alone"
    Released: 31 March 2022
  4. "How"
    Released: 7 June 2022
  5. "This Is"
    Released: 14 March 2023
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Observer[3]
Pitchfork7.3/10[4]

A deluxe edition of the album featuring three additional songs was released on 2 February 2023 in conjunction with the announcement of Mai's Heart on My Sleeve North American tour.[6]

Composition and themes

In an interview with The Recording Academy Press writer Malik Peay, Ella Mai explained the meaning of the album and the creative process behind it:[7]

"I was so heavily invested and involved with the entire process. I knew what I wanted to say and what I wanted to sound like. [...] Every song, every session, it did kind of feel like a therapy session for me. I was wearing my heart on my sleeve in the studio, and just really explaining how I was feeling at the time. [...] I think the difficulty comes from wondering, is this too vulnerable? But actually, it was everything that was on my heart. [...] I think through creating this album, I realized how resilient I am, even if I'm in a situation that I haven't really experienced before. [...] I love to storytell, but I do understand sometimes that it doesn't always need to be there. [...] I think it's incredibly freeing."

Promotion

"Not Another Love Song" was released as the lead single on 2 October 2020.[8] Its music video was released on 20 October 2020.[9] "DFMU" was released on 28 January 2022, as the second single, alongside a music video.[10] "Leave You Alone" was released on 31 March 2022, as the third single.[11] "How" featuring Roddy Ricch was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on 7 June 2022, as the fourth single.[12] Its music video was released on 28 July 2022.[13] "This Is" from the deluxe edition was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on 14 March 2023, as the fifth single.[14]

Commercial performance

Heart On My Sleeve debuted at number 15 on the US Billboard 200, number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number two on the Top R&B Albums chart, earning 20,000 album-equivalent units (15,000 being pure album sales) in its first week.[15]

Track listing

Heart on My Sleeve track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Trying"3:17
2."Not Another Love Song"
  • Mai
  • Varren Wade
4:15
3."Didn't Say" (featuring Latto)
  • Mustard
  • Gylttryp
4:06
4."Break My Heart"
  • Mai
  • Hinshaw Jr.
D'Mile3:15
5."Fallen Angel"
4:22
6."How" (featuring Roddy Ricch)
  • Mustard
  • Nic Nac
  • Bass Charity
3:38
7."Pieces"
  • Mai
  • Wade
3:19
8."DFMU"
  • Mai
  • Hinshaw Jr.
  • Daemon Landrum
  • Jonathan Sanders
  • Tyus Strickland
  • Donell Jones
  • Kyle West
  • Mustard
  • J. Holt
3:18
9."Hide"
  • Mai
  • Hinshaw Jr.
  • Sean Momberger
  • Leigh Elliott
3:28
10."Power of a Woman"
  • Mai
  • Wade
  • Mustard
  • Cam Griffin
  • J.LBS
3:34
11."A Mess" (featuring Lucky Daye)
  • Boi-1da
  • SMPLGTWY
  • Peter Iskander
  • Cameron Joseph
3:54
12."Feels Like"
  • Mai
  • Chloe George
  • Steph Jones
Jorgen Odegard3:20
13."Leave You Alone"
  • Mai
  • Wade
3:29
14."Sink or Swim"
  • Mai
  • Hinshaw Jr.
D'Mile3:55
15."Fading Out"
  • Mai
  • Wade
Sweet3:35
Total length:54:43
Japanese edition bonus track[16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."She Don't" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign)
  • Mustard
  • Twice as Nice
4:24
Total length:59:07
Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."2 O'Clock"
Kaytranada3:50
17."This Is"
  • Mai
  • Dana Meyers
  • Grace Redway
  • Howard Hewett
  • LaDamon "Fatboi" Douglas
  • Mustard
  • LaDamon "Fatboi" Douglas
  • Mustard
3:26
18."Our Song"
3:19
Total length:65:21

Notes

  • "Not Another Love Song" was originally released as a single in 2020; the version on the album is extended and features a spoken-word segment by American singer Mary J. Blige beginning at 3:32. "Sink or Swim" also features Blige beginning at 3:32.
  • American singer Kirk Franklin and choir are featured on "Fallen Angel" beginning at 3:18.

Charts

Chart performance for Heart on My Sleeve
Chart (2022) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[15] 15
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[17] 2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 9

References

  1. Clark, Trent (21 September 2018). "Ella Mai Reveals Self-Titled Debut Album Cover Art & Release Date". HipHopDX. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  2. "Reviews and Tracks for Heart On My Sleeve by Ella Mai". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  3. "Ella Mai: Heart On My Sleeve review – everyday romance parsed with ambition". The Observer. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. Torres, Eric. "Review: Heart On My Sleeve". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  5. Yoo, Noah (21 September 2018). "Ella Mai Announces Debut Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  6. "Ella Mai Announces 'Heart On My Sleeve' Tour And Deluxe Album". Vibe. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  7. Peay, Malik (15 June 2022). "Ella Mai Wears Her Heart On Her Sleeve: Every Song Felt "Like A Therapy Session"". grammy.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. Maicki, Salvatore (2 October 2020). "Ella Mai returns with new single "Not Another Love Song"". The Fader. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  9. George, Rachel (15 March 2023). "Ella Mai shares the music video for her single "Not Another Love Song"". ABC Audio. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  10. Schube, Will (29 January 2022). "Listen To Ella Mai's New Mustard-Produced Single, 'DFMU'". udiscovermusic.com. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  11. Powell, Jon (31 March 2022). "Ella Mai drops off new single "Leave You Alone"". Revolt. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  12. "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases | R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates | ..." All Access. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  13. Cho, Regina (28 July 2022). "Ella Mai releases new "How" video featuring Roddy Ricch". Revolt. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  14. "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases | R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates | ..." All Access. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  15. Anderson, Trevor (20 May 2022). "Ella Mai Has a Top Five Debut Up Her 'Sleeve'". Billboard. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  16. "ハート・オン・マイ・スリーブ". Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  17. ""Ella Mai Chart History (Top R&B Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  18. "Ella Mai Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
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