Ella Mai Opens Up: “Jayson Tatum Wasn’t What I Expected”
“When I first met Jayson Tatum, I’ll be honest—I didn’t think too much of it. He wasn’t what I expected, not at all,” Ella Mai recalls, her voice soft but certain. “At that time in my life, everything revolved around music—music was taking shape, and I was consumed by the Game, the grind, the road ahead. Romance? It wasn’t on my radar.”
But then, as she describes it, “Jayson walked into my life like a different kind of melody. Not loud, not flamboyant, just real.”
Ella, known for her rich, sultry vocals and soulful ballads, found herself thrown into a rhythm she hadn’t planned for. “I was used to the chaos of the industry,” she admits. “Late studio sessions, flashing lights, award shows, the pressure to always be on. And he—he was steady. Firm. Thoughtful. Sincere.”
The first few conversations between them weren’t fireworks. “They were quiet,” she says with a smile. “The kind of talks that linger in your mind for days. He asked questions most people don’t bother to. He really listened.”
At the time, Jayson was already a rising star in the NBA, carving his name into Celtics legacy and dominating headlines. But to Ella, “He wasn’t trying to impress. He wasn’t performing. That was what drew me in.”
She laughs, thinking back to how hesitant she was at first. “I didn’t know what to make of it. I kept trying to brush it off. I told myself, ‘This is just a phase. You’re too busy. He’s too busy.’ But then I’d get a message from him at 2 a.m. after a game, something like, ‘Did you get home safe?’ or ‘I heard your new song. It hit different tonight.’ And suddenly… it wasn’t so easy to brush off.”
What grew between them was never announced in press releases or flaunted for the tabloids. “We were both private people,” Ella says. “We had to be. Fame has a way of making everything feel temporary. We wanted to build something real, away from the noise.”
Still, they had their challenges. “Long-distance was tough. The schedules were insane. Sometimes we’d go weeks without seeing each other in person. But what surprised me most was how intentional he was. He made the effort. Even when I thought I didn’t need it—he showed up.”
The singer pauses, thoughtful. “I’m not the easiest person to love, I know that. I’m guarded. I’m all in when it comes to my work. And he never tried to change that. He just… found his rhythm with mine.”
Ella describes moments that felt ordinary on the surface but meant everything to her. “He’d sit in on rehearsals, quiet in the back, hoodie up, just vibing. And then later he’d tell me the parts that gave him chills. Not critiques—just observations. Or he’d cook dinner after I landed from a red-eye flight, and we’d watch old game tapes and soul records back to back.”
Despite the pressure of their high-profile lives, she says the relationship gave her peace. “We both have arenas where we’re expected to be perfect. But with each other, there’s no performance. No pressure to be polished. Just presence.”
When asked what she’s learned most from loving Jayson, Ella takes a moment before answering.
“Patience. Vulnerability. That it’s okay to let someone see the unfiltered version of you. He taught me that strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s in the way someone remembers your coffee order or how they text you before you even say you need them.”
Now, with her new music on the way and his career continuing to thrive, Ella isn’t promising fairy tales or happy endings. “We’re still growing. Still figuring it out like everyone else. But what I do know is, some people come into your life like a storm—and some, like a song that makes everything else quiet.”
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Ella Mai Opens Up: “Jayson Tatum Wasn’t What I Expected”
“When I first met Jayson Tatum, I’ll be honest—I didn’t think too much of it. He wasn’t what I expected, not at all,” Ella Mai recalls, her voice soft but certain. “At that time in my life, everything revolved around music—music was taking shape, and I was consumed by the Game, the grind, the road ahead. Romance? It wasn’t on my radar.”
But then, as she describes it, “Jayson walked into my life like a different kind of melody. Not loud, not flamboyant, just real.”
Ella, known for her rich, sultry vocals and soulful ballads, found herself thrown into a rhythm she hadn’t planned for. “I was used to the chaos of the industry,” she admits. “Late studio sessions, flashing lights, award shows, the pressure to always be on. And he—he was steady. Firm. Thoughtful. Sincere.”
The first few conversations between them weren’t fireworks. “They were quiet,” she says with a smile. “The kind of talks that linger in your mind for days. He asked questions most people don’t bother to. He really listened.”
At the time, Jayson was already a rising star in the NBA, carving his name into Celtics legacy and dominating headlines. But to Ella, “He wasn’t trying to impress. He wasn’t performing. That was what drew me in.”
She laughs, thinking back to how hesitant she was at first. “I didn’t know what to make of it. I kept trying to brush it off. I told myself, ‘This is just a phase. You’re too busy. He’s too busy.’ But then I’d get a message from him at 2 a.m. after a game, something like, ‘Did you get home safe?’ or ‘I heard your new song. It hit different tonight.’ And suddenly… it wasn’t so easy to brush off.”
What grew between them was never announced in press releases or flaunted for the tabloids. “We were both private people,” Ella says. “We had to be. Fame has a way of making everything feel temporary. We wanted to build something real, away from the noise.”
Still, they had their challenges. “Long-distance was tough. The schedules were insane. Sometimes we’d go weeks without seeing each other in person. But what surprised me most was how intentional he was. He made the effort. Even when I thought I didn’t need it—he showed up.”
The singer pauses, thoughtful. “I’m not the easiest person to love, I know that. I’m guarded. I’m all in when it comes to my work. And he never tried to change that. He just… found his rhythm with mine.”
Ella describes moments that felt ordinary on the surface but meant everything to her. “He’d sit in on rehearsals, quiet in the back, hoodie up, just vibing. And then later he’d tell me the parts that gave him chills. Not critiques—just observations. Or he’d cook dinner after I landed from a red-eye flight, and we’d watch old game tapes and soul records back to back.”
Despite the pressure of their high-profile lives, she says the relationship gave her peace. “We both have arenas where we’re expected to be perfect. But with each other, there’s no performance. No pressure to be polished. Just presence.”
When asked what she’s learned most from loving Jayson, Ella takes a moment before answering.
“Patience. Vulnerability. That it’s okay to let someone see the unfiltered version of you. He taught me that strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s in the way someone remembers your coffee order or how they text you before you even say you need them.”
Now, with her new music on the way and his career continuing to thrive, Ella isn’t promising fairy tales or happy endings. “We’re still growing. Still figuring it out like everyone else. But what I do know is, some people come into your life like a storm—and some, like a song that makes everything else quiet.”
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