"Being in the studio…[feels] like my second home," R&B artist Ella Mai says over Zoom from her sun-drenched Los Angeles abode. The singer's eyes brighten as she recounts her stream of consciousness creative process, where she transforms the disorienting unfamiliar into art. "I made almost 80 songs during this process," she confesses, chuckling. "Narrowing them down to 15 was very hard."

Those tracks now comprise Ella Mai's long-awaited sophomore album, Heart On My Sleeve. Out in May through Interscope Records, the album is an introspective compilation of poetry outlining the healing that produces emotional growth. At the soul of Mai's sophomore record are lyrics orienting honesty, womanhood and emotional prowess gained from years of turbulence; her heartstrings are utterly exposed from the album's opening track.

Yet that growth, and commitment to self-work, has long been present in Mai, a UK-born singer who moved to New York at age 12. The past four years have been big for Mai, whose debut single, "Boo’d Up," won the GRAMMY Award for Best R&B Song in 2019. At the 62nd GRAMMY Awards, her eponymous debut album was nominated for Best R&B Album. Now 27, Mai is more surefooted about herself and what her music stands for. 

But her ascent hasn't been without tribulation. "I have always thought I had it together but sometimes, you will make the wrong decision," Mai says, reflecting on the emotional hurdles she faced in 2020, as well as mistakes made throughout her early career. "The important part really is how you pick yourself up, and that is [what] I learned making this album that made me think: I am really proud of myself.

"Heart On My Sleeve is about the chaos and the peace put together," Mai continues, adding that "it was difficult at times to find that balance."

The album's varied styles and sonics reflect that balance. The first single closes with a trailing violin, leading into the lustful composition of "Not Another Love Song." The turbulent song features a recorded memo from Mary J. Blige, who  praises Mai for being open and advises her to love with faith despite the existence of pain. On "Fallen Angel," Mai testifies to a potentially deceitful lover buoyed by a suspenseful chorus that ushers into a gospel sermon featuring choirmaster Kirk Franklin. Other collaborators include L.A. rapper, Roddy Ricch, as well as Latto and Lucky Daye.

Heart On My Sleeve is an R&B symphony of sentiments that shows the capriciousness of human nature. Prevailing through the protection of her own heart and learning from emotional turbulence, Ella Mai is emphatically going to do as her album suggests and wear her heart out in the open. Ella Mai spoke with GRAMMY.com about the multi-year journey that it took to be here. 

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What have you learned about yourself in the past four years since you exploded in the R&B scene?

When I was recording my debut album, I was 21, 22 and thought I knew everything. The last four years I realized I know absolutely nothing. It's funny because albums are great ways to look back on areas of your life because they are eras. 

In terms of being an artist, in 2018 when everything blew up for me and "Boo’d Up" went crazy and then "Trip." I didn't really have time to even realize what was going on. I was checking off so many things on my bucket list…but the world was moving so quickly that I didn't even realize the impact of it all. When I went on tour, I was able to tour the whole world and really experience that with my fans.

Where do you see Heart On My Sleeve landing in terms of your development as an artist?

There was a lot of pressure coming off of my debut album and I tried my best to not get caught up in that cycle. With "Boo’d Up" and "Trip" being so big, that was what a lot of people knew me for and still know me for. 

With this album, specifically, 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. I've always been a confident person, I think that helped me out a lot. Touring was a big part of my confidence, it helped me believe in myself even more as an artist. Especially, for somebody who really loves R&B music and really loves to make music.

Why were some of the songs healing for you to create in the studio? 

I was so inspired and so excited to be back in the studio in 2020 because it had been a while and I took some time off for a whole year. 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. One thing I didn't even realize is that with the album out, it's almost like reliving those moments. I'm so excited to tour it because I feel like it would just mean that much more when you're super, super connected to the music.

Were there any songs that were extremely hard for you to apply your pen to? If so, why?

"Fallen Angel" was actually one of my most favorite sessions. It definitely has a gospel feel, which is why I wanted to put Kirk Franklin at the end of it. I grew up in church, my grandma was a minister, and everyone in the session comes from that type of background. 

"Pieces" was a difficult song to write. I think the production moves more, the second verse changes from the first verse sonically, which I've never done before. At the same time, it was exactly what I was feeling. So I think the difficulty comes from wondering, is this too vulnerable? But actually, it was everything that was on my heart. 

Did you receive any revelatory musical guidance that pushed you closer to completing this record?

I've always been confident and I've always known how strong I am as a person. But 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. 

Even though I'm vulnerable, I'm not ever a doormat. I am always conscious of who I am in my own life. I know a lot of my fans are my age, and they're probably going through similar things with me because we kind of have grown up together. So I always want to make sure I'm a role model, I guess.

Why do sports have deep symbolism in your songs?

I played football for nine years and I've always been an athlete and it's really the influence I received from my brother. I have an older brother…that's my only sibling. When I was younger, I just wanted to do everything that he did. So I started playing soccer because he played soccer.

When we moved to New York, he got into basketball. So I got into basketball. I play tennis now and I think being active is always something that I've always found really fun. When I got to a stage in my life where I wanted to decide what I wanted to do, in my head it was music or soccer. So [sports have] always been a very, very prominent part of my life. 

Most of the songs on your past album had spoken poetry at the end. Was that an artistic element you wanted to option out on Heart On My Sleeve?

I love to storytell, but I do understand sometimes that it doesn't always need to be there. I was aware of that and I love it, which is why I had Mary J. Blige and Kirk Franklin on this album. I still didn't want to take that element out of it completely. Even the start of my song with Lucky Daye, that audio [was] obviously from our session. 

Are there any female R&B artists you really would love to collaborate with in the future?

There's a lot of different types of R&B artists, especially women. I personally would love to collaborate with them all, but who comes to mind right now is Snoh Aalegra.

What is the key message you want your fans to resonate with when listening to Heart On My Sleeve?

Honesty. That's what I've been saying really throughout Heart On My Sleeve. I'm…definitely an honest person. I will say that I also am aware of how scary that feeling is, but I've been trying to embrace it. 

And… Wear your heart on your sleeve. There is a certain…feeling of freedom if you're honest with yourself and, not even just to everyone else, but being honest with yourself. An honest way of living is as cliche as it sounds, but I think it's incredibly freeing.

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