Boo'd Up

"Boo'd Up" is the debut commercial single by English singer Ella Mai from her third extended play, Ready. Serving as the lead single for the EP, the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.[2] It was a minor hit in her native UK, peaking at 52 whilst peaking within the top 50 in Australia and Canada. A remix featuring Nicki Minaj and Quavo peaked at number 8 in New Zealand. The song was written by Mai, Joelle James, Dijon "Mustard" McFarlane and Larrance Dopson of 1500 or Nothin', and produced by the latter two. It was nominated for Song of the Year and won Best R&B Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[3]

"Boo'd Up"
Single by Ella Mai
from the EP Ready and the album Ella Mai
Released20 February 2018 (2018-02-20)
GenreR&B[1]
Length
  • 4:16 (EP version)
  • 3:59 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ella Mai singles chronology
"Naked"
(2017)		 "Boo'd Up"
(2018)		 "Trip"
(2018)
Music video
"Boo'd Up" on YouTube

Background and release

American songwriter Joelle James first wrote "Boo'd Up" in 2014 originally for herself. She later looked for an artist to give the song to, eventually giving it to Ella Mai after feeling that "synergy of it would be perfect for her."[4]

Mai originally released the song in February 2017 as part of the Ready EP. "Boo'd Up" rose in popularity on social media as well as in nightclubs over the next few months,[5] notably in the Bay Area and later in Dallas, Texas. After Mai served as the opening act on Kehlani's tour, her music reached a bigger audience and the song grew on radio airplay in the spring of 2018.[6] The song became her first top 10 song in the US in the following month, deeming it her "breakthrough hit".[7] Rolling Stone wrote that the single is "one of the biggest singles by a breakout female R&B singer in the past 10 years."[8]

In support of the song and its commercial success, Mai announced a concert tour titled the Boo'd Up Tour in the US during the month of August.[9]

In December 2018, Billboard magazine ranked "Boo'd Up" as the third best song of the year.[10]

Music video

An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Nick Walker, premiered via Mai's Vevo channel on 26 April 2018.[11] It features cameo appearances from singer Khalid, rapper Kamaiyah, and YouTube personality Alissa Ashley.[12][13] Model Donnell Blaylock Jr. plays Mai's love interest in the video.[14]

Remixes

Rappers Nicki Minaj, Fetty Wap, Plies, Fabolous, Dave East, Vado and Young Dro also released remixes to the song.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Live performances

On 17 November 2018, Mai performed the song on Saturday Night Live, with Jezebel describing Mai as "Pure '90s R&B Heartthrob".[23] It comes on the heels of Ella Mai’s critically acclaimed performance at the BET Awards 2018.[24][25]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Platinum 80,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[41] 5× Platinum 5,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 22 February 2017 Digital download (along with Ready EP)
[42]
United States 20 February 2018 Rhythmic contemporary [43]
Urban contemporary
10 July 2018 Contemporary hit radio [44]

Nicki Minaj and Quavo remix
"Boo'd Up (Remix)"
Single by Ella Mai, Nicki Minaj and Quavo
Released4 July 2018 (2018-07-04)
Length3:37
Label
Songwriter(s)
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Bed"
(2018)		 "Boo'd Up (Remix)"
(2018)		 "Fefe"
(2018)
Quavo singles chronology
"Ghostbusters"
(2018)		 "Boo'd Up (Remix)"
(2018)		 "No Brainer"
(2018)

A remix of "Boo'd Up" with rapper Nicki Minaj and Quavo was released 4 July 2018.[45]

The remix version of the song features newly added verses and lyrics by both Quavo and Minaj and marks the second collaboration between the two. Its music was also slightly modified with several parts being reorganized and changed.[46] Some of the lyrics in Minaj's verse of the song are: Still a Playboy bunny on Hef, though/So we gotta get the dollar like Creflo/He said that he want respect/I said, "That's dope"/But that goes both ways like DeJ Loaf, uh.[45]

Composition

The music of "Boo'd Up" is mostly kept the same as the original, with the sound being slightly altered and several parts reorganized. The remix also contains a reference to Minaj's 2011 hit, "Super Bass".[47] Migos member Quavo drops an ad-libbed verse of his own. The remix comes to a close with a faux recorded phone conversation between Quavo and Minaj. She asks him to be picked up from somewhere but he's actually already outside.[48]

Track listing
Digital download – Official Remix[49]
No.TitleLength
1."Boo'd Up (Remix)" (with Nicki Minaj and Quavo)3:37

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[50] 12
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[51] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[52] 8

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] Gold 15,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 4 July 2018 Digital download
[49]
gollark: Also, our hardware being optimized for it.
gollark: Wow, I was right!
gollark: Actually, it's fine, we can just email our Go programs off to Google and have them compile it for us.
gollark: The Go compiler will not run with that amount therefore it is insufficient.
gollark: Abstraction is simply an inferior version of copy-pasting.

References
  1. "Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up" marks the return of female R&B singers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. "Ella Mai Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  4. Gore, Sydney (23 May 2018). "How Joelle James wrote "Boo'd Up," the surprise hit of the summer". The Fader. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  5. Howard, Jackson (2018). "Ella Mai's Slow Burn". The Fader. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  6. Johnson, Cherise (15 June 2018). "How Ella Mai's Unlikely 'Billboard' Hit 'Boo'd Up' Exploded In Popularity A Year After Its Release". Uproxx. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  7. Zellner, Xander (30 May 2018). "Ella Mai Scores First Top 10 on Billboard Hot 100 With 'Boo'd Up'". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  8. Leight, Elias (23 May 2018). "'Boo'd Up': How Ella Mai Is Leading Female R&B Singers Back Onto the Charts". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  9. Penrose, Nerisha (13 June 2018). "Ella Mai Announces Boo'd Up Summer Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  10. "Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  11. "Ella Mai, Kamaiyah And Khalid Free Their Inner Youth In "Boo'd Up" Visual". Vibe. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  12. "Watch Ella Mai's New Music Video for "Boo'd Up" f/ Cameos by Khalid and Kamaiyah". Freshest FM. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  13. Kevito (April 2018). "Ella Mai Shares Moments Of Affection In New Video For "Boo'd Up"". Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  14. "WATCH: R&B Newcomer Ella Mai Gets "Boo'd Up" in Music Video". Gossip On This. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  15. Goddard, Kevin (12 June 2018). "Fetty Wap Tackles Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up" For His Latest Remix". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  16. Arevalo, Lydia (13 June 2018). "Fetty Wap's Remix Of Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up" Gives Us A Lot Of Feelings". Vibe. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  17. "Vado & Dave East – Boo'd Up Remix Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  18. "Young Dro Remixes Some Of The Hottest Tracks On "Adderall Flow" Mixtape". HotNewHipHop. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  19. "Nicki Minaj and Quavo Join Ella Mai on New "Boo'd Up" Remix: Listen". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  20. "T-Pain Serves Best "Boo'd Up" Remix Yet". HotNewHipHop. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  21. "T-Pain, Proving He's Still T-Pain, Steals the 'Boo'd Up' Remix From Nicki Minaj and Quavo". Rolling Stone. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  22. "T-Pain Dropped the Best Remix of Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up"". Complex. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  23. https://jezebel.com/on-saturday-night-live-ella-mai-is-pure-90s-r-b-heartt-1830523774
  24. https://www.refinery29.com/amp/en-us/2018/06/202696/lla-mai-bet-awards-performance-controversial-twitter-reactions
  25. https://www.vibe.com/2018/06/ella-mai-bood-up-bet-awards-performance
  26. "Australian-charts.com – Ella Mai – Boo'd Up". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  27. "Ella Mai Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  28. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  29. "Portuguesecharts.com – Ella Mai – Boo'd Up". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  30. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  31. "Ella Mai Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  32. "Ella Mai Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  33. "Ella Mai Chart History (Hot R&B Songs)". Billboard. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  34. "Ella Mai Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  35. "Ella Mai Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  36. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  37. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  38. "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  39. "Canadian single certifications – Ella Mai – Boo'd Up". Music Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  40. "British single certifications – Ella Mai – Boo'd Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 January 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Boo'd Up in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  41. "American single certifications – Ella Mai – Boo'd Up". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  42. "Ready - EP". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  43. "Top 40/R Future Releases". All Access. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  44. "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  45. Arcand, Rob (4 July 2018). "Ella Mai – "Boo'd Up (Remix)" ft. Nicki Minaj & Quavo". SPIN. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  46. Blistein, Jon (4 July 2018). "Ella Mai Taps Nicki Minaj, Quavo for Slick 'Boo'd Up' Remix". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  47. Clark, Anne Victoria (4 July 2018). "Ella Mai Releases 'Boo'd Up' Remix With Nicki Minaj and Quavo". Vulture. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  48. Saponara, Michael (5 July 2018). "Nicki Minaj & Quavo Join Forces With Ella Mai For 'Boo'd Up (Remix)': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  49. "Boo'd Up (Remix) - Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  50. "Ultratop.be – Ella Mai, Nicki Minaj & Quavo – Boo'd Up (Remix)" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  51. "Ultratop.be – Ella Mai, Nicki Minaj & Quavo – Boo'd Up (Remix)" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  52. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  53. "New Zealand single certifications – Ella Mai – Boo'd Up". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
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