Discovered via Instagram by DJ Mustard, Ella Mai is the latest in a wave of artists who earned their record deal via social media. We got our proper introduction to the London-native in February when she released her debut EP, Time, along with the first single, “She Don’t,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. Now she’s planning to close the year with another EP, Change, and brings us the first single, “10,000 Hours.”
Based on the 10,000 Hours concept popularized in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Outliers: The Story of Success, the theory is that it takes 10,000 hours to master anything, whether it’s writing stories, playing music or the fine art of love. Over a mid-tempo Mustard beat with customary trap elements, Ella implores her lover, “You know every second adds up to a minute / Need 10,000 hours / We can be so in love.” In the video for the song, Ella is lounging around her loft, reminiscing about time spent hugged up with her boo thang and pining for him to get with the program and get some more “practice” in.
Ella Mai exhibits poise, grace and talent in the song and the clip. We’re definitely intrigued by what the star-in-the-making has to offer and look forward to the magic she’ll amaze us with when Change, drops November 18th. While Time chronicled the end of a relationship, Change will tell the story of finding love anew. “The new project is all about newfound love, new emotions and new experiences,” said Ella Mai in a press release. The sound of the project has been described as a nostalgic, throwback to ’90s R&B and is available for pre-order on iTunes. Until the new EP is released, we recommend you low key add “10,000 Hours” to your cuffing season playlist.
