Ella Mai is boldly stepping into her next era. After being happily “Boo’d Up,” she now has to set her man straight while setting some boundaries on her new single “Tell Her.”
Her long-time producer Mustard is on the beat, and he lays down a bass-heavy track for Ella to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Her relationship is being tested by her man’s messy ex-girlfriend, and she’s not having it. “I’m on some new s**t,” she sings in the very first lyric to let him know that she’s hotter than fish grease and not tolerating any foolishness from him or his old bae.
Ella keeps it cute but makes it clear that he needs to tell her to fall back. “But if yo’ ex think she can call yo’ phone / You better tell her you love me / Put no one above me / Say my name, say my name / Ain’t finna play no games,” she states frankly on the hook, which features a slick interpolation of Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.”
The songstress is firm throughout the song but also soft and vulnerable at times. “I know you care about my heart / It ain’t even hard, tell her you love me,” she sings on the piano-filled bridge, making one final plea. “Tell her you love me.”
“Tell Her” is the first sign of Ella Mai’s next album, which is already in the can according to her. Back in April, she posted a carousel on Instagram that ended with a quick video of her stepping out of a trailer saying, “Girls just wanna have fun, and my album’s done!” It’s been crickets since then, but with the release of this single, it sounds like Ella is finally ready to pop out.
Listen to Ella Mai lay out her concerns to her man on “Tell Her” and stay tuned for much more to come.
