Ella Mai Enlists Babyface And Roddy Ricch For BET Awards Performance

After walking the red carpet in a black, accented romper with a sleek, short bob earlier that day, it took us a minute to realize that Ella Mai was onstage as only her shadow could be seen as Mary J. Blige’s voice echoed in the theater. Inside Microsoft Theater, the smoky, black-and-white visual reminded us of an old romance film as her low, distinct tone sang “DFMU,” the lead single from her sophomore album, Heart On My Sleeve.

From an at-home viewer perspective, it was the opening chords to Tevin Campbell’s “Can We Talk” that brought the color back into the performance, guiding us back to the present day. Campbell’s hit 1993 single, written by Babyface, was interpolated into Face and Mai’s new single, “Keeps On Fallin’.”

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This was the first time the new collaborators performed their new tune and it was really heartwarming to see such an R&B legend embrace this generation of talent—it’s something that isn’t new for Babyface, but still endearing nonetheless. “Keeps On Fallin'” is set to appear on his new album.

Later in her two-song set, Roddy Ricch joined Mai to perform their single, “How” for the first time and with a more rugged backdrop.

Catch Mai on tour with Mary J. Blige this fall for the Good Morning Gorgeous Tour. Especially if her BET Awards performance is an indicator of how incredible her 23-city run is going to be.

Watch Ella Mai’s full performance above.

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