Heart on My Sleeve (album)

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."

"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]

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]