Ella Mai Showed Up Ready to Play

- The five years that I lived in New York, I didn't sing until my high school graduation and everyone was like, "Why did nobody know that you could sing?" - What? Do you want to keep score already? - I'm just, I'm just asking. - Would you have your own song sung at your wedding? - No. - We're gonna have a little baby. - She was like, "Oh my gosh!" - You've been a bad mint. Now you gotta really roll. - I roll! - You can't be like. - I dress like a little boy anyway, so like. - Ah! - Wait, but hold on a second, that's not fair. - I know that's right. - Can she sing? - No. ♪ So close you can almost taste it ♪ - This is where I should have come. ♪ This is really short inhibition ♪ ♪ Smell the rain on your skin ♪ - Wow! ♪ And no one else can feel it for you ♪ - What is up, neighbors? We've got the Ella Mai blessing the house today. She is a Grammy-winning, multi-platinum singer-songwriter who gave us the song "Boot Up," which spent more weeks at the top of the R&B hip-hop chart than any other woman in history. She is a South Londoner who's getting ready for her U.S. dates of her new album, "Do You Still Love Me?" And I bet she's the kind house guest who pulls up and her vibe is so smooth, she feels like family. Well, you're still gonna know her. Let's get it. Give it up one time for Ella Mai in the building! Yeah! I'm so glad to have you here. - Thank you for having me. - Oh my God, you have been on our list since the very first day. - I've been, I've literally been waiting. I'm like, well, when am I gonna get to be in the garden? Like, what's going on here? - Come on! - I think I saw you. I saw you right before the Mariah Carey Musicaires for the Grammys, and I was like, what are we doing? She was like, when am I coming to the show? - I've been waiting. I've been like, just tell me when and I'll be here. - Let's go. I wanna make you a kind of a spin on a mojito. I know you're not drinking right now. So it is a non-alcoholic, you know, a mocktail kind of situation. It's also perfect for like backyard, kicking it outside summer day. - Feels good. - So I've got blackberries and I've got strawberries. Something tells me you're more strawberry. - Yeah, I'll do with strawberry. - You'll do with strawberry? Okay, sweet. - I'm not a good bartender, so I'm gonna be paying close attention to this to try and take some tips. - What do you like to, when you are drinking, like what is your cocktail of choice? - Anything with tequila, to be honest. I would say. - See? - But I'm not, I don't feel like I'm picky as long as it's sweet. - Huh. - I'm not like a spicy, I can't do a spicy drink. - You said, "Miss me with that." - Yeah, not a spicy drink and not like something really strong. - So you don't like a mezcal? You're not doing like a smoky situation? - No, no, no. I don't like smoky anything, though. I don't really like smoky food. I don't really like smoky-- - A barbecue? - Yeah. I know that's a very unpopular opinion. People are probably gonna be like-- - Right? - Yeah, not so much. - Well, for lunch I got you sushi, so it's gonna be great. - Okay. I know we don't have sushi. I know somebody in here told you that I don't eat sushi. - Wait. - But-- - You trying to be-- - I was like, "Ah, okay." - Who gonna tell him? - I love fish, but I don't like raw fish. - Yeah, cook it. - Yeah. - Cook the food. - Oh, if it's cooked, then yeah. - I'm like, "Anything you're gonna eat, cook it." - So you don't eat sushi either, then? - I eat tempura. - Oh, yeah, me too. - Yeah. You know what I mean? So to keep this, also to make sure that it's sweet, I use like a strawberry preserve in this as well. That's a little tip for you at home. - Love that. I eat jam on toast. I mean, that's a very English thing for me. - Yeah. Growing up, my mom used to make toast with peanut butter and then Butterworth syrup. - I've heard of something like that on a bagel also, but I guess it would be kind of the same. - Yes, give it to me. - Yeah. - Okay, so we need some mint. You know, you slap the mint. - No, I don't. I told you, I have no clue. So I'm learning. - You say whatever you say. - Yeah, I'm learning from you. - We're gonna slap this mint. Ooh. - It's a good slap. - You've been a bad mint. And then we muddle. - Okay. Not too complicated so far. - Not too complicated. You could do this. Also, the sound, this Christmas, Crystal is making every time that mallet hits it is like a rich. It's like- - You know what you're doing. - Money sign, money sign, money sign, every time. Okay, and so then you add your lime. - It's looking good already. - That might've been quite a bit of lime. And then you add ice. And then you use your soda. Or if you're at my house, your Sprite. - Got it. - Oh, it's about to be so good. - It's looking good. - It's about to be so good. - And it's looking very refreshing. - Yes. - Have you ever had anyone on here that like you've made them a drink or made them something and they really didn't like it? - I'm pretty sure Mary J. Blige did not like my lychee martini. - But did she say that she liked it? - She said, "Mmm." "Mmm." - I'll give you more than a "Mmm." - I think that she- - If I don't like it, but I think I'm gonna like it. - I threw her when I was gonna put Grand Marnier in it. And after that, she was like, "Just hurry up and make it. Just give me my drink. Just give me my drink." I'm gonna get my Meghan Markle on, my duchess. Which flower do you want? - What's this? - I don't know. - Oh, okay. - Purple. - I was gonna say, I don't know the name of it, so. - I'm gonna call it a hyacinth. - We'll do that. - I don't even know if a hyacinth is purple. - Am I supposed to put it inside? - Girl, I don't know. - Okay, well, we're just gonna- - Yeah, that looks good. Look at that. - See my little added touch? Thank you. - Okay, tell me what you think. - Okay. I gotta give you more than a "Mmm." - Probably should have tasted it before you tasted it. - It's good. It's good. Oh, should I give you a "Mmm"? It's good. It's really refreshing. - Is it good? - Mm-hmm. - Yes. - And this would be good with alcohol. - Right? - Mm-hmm. - Mine is gonna have alcohol. - Mint. - I wanna be clear. I'm gonna be putting rum in mine for sure. - Mint. - Right? - I'm a big mint fan. - Same. - My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip, which is also an unpopular opinion. I feel like people really don't like mint ice cream that much. - Well, I feel like once you get over 50, mint chocolate chip kinda kicks back up, no? - I mean, is that you trying to say that I'm over 50? - No, I'm saying, like, maybe, like, maybe, like, you know, it's like it's just an older, like, butter pecan. - I've liked it since I was a child. So maybe I'm just an old, old girl at heart. - Oh, so. Yeah. - And I'm okay with that. - I'm not mad at it. - But I will say, the reason I love mint is 'cause my granddad used to always give me mints when I was a little girl, 'cause he loved mints, and I think it just, like, never left. - See? - Yeah. - I love this. - And yes, he was old. - And it's, like, nostalgic. - He was old, so that makes sense. - I mean, you said it, not me. - Mm-hmm. - Okay, so yours is the same, just with rum? Or yours is black, are you doing blackberry? - No, I'm not gonna do blackberry. I'm gonna do, I'm gonna keep it strawberry. I'm gonna smack some more of this mint. It's my favorite part. - The mint is what I can taste the most, actually. - So what, that's how you, you gotta wake it up. You gotta be like, no mint! Bad, bad mint. I'm glad you like it. I was nervous. - Why? - 'Cause you never know. - Anything with strawberry, I pretty much always like. - Is that right? - Yeah, I'm a strawberry gal. - Okay, good to know, good to know. Ooh. - I really should've waited for you. - Mm-hmm. - So we could've cheers. Tasting good? - Cheers! - Cheers, indeed. - You okay? - It went straight to the back of my throat. - Are you okay? - I'm okay, my life flashed for my eyes, but I'm okay. - Well, at least, yeah, no, that was-- - I'm about to die in my backyard, y'all. - I was about to say what I was gonna say was gonna be morbid. - What? - I was gonna say, at least that would be your last, your last sight. I think it's a pretty good one. - It's true, it's true. - I went to say it, and I was like, ah. - You said, nope, too dark. - Don't do that. - And you said it anyway. - Mm-hmm. - I love it. So we got a little game, a get-to-know-you kind of situation. - Okay, so icebreaker. - Yeah, you get me. - Ready? - Yep. - Keep the bedroom warm or freezing cold to sleep. Hmm. - I ran out of space. - You ran out of space? What did you write? - Well, I saw one, I just don't know who it is. - Exactly, exactly. Okay, you ready to reveal? - Wait, which one are we revealing first? Mine or yours? - We're gonna reveal yours first. - Okay. - One, two, three. - Oh, you got it right! Yeah, I can't sleep in a cold. The problem is, I don't want it to be like hot, 'cause then I'm uncomfortable. - Right. - But I'm also uncomfortable if it's freezing cold. - Really? - So I need like a, I need it in between. - It's very relaxing in a warm room. Like, you know, your muscles relax in a warm room. But like, - It's hot. - So I think that my answer for yours is right then. Well, I said cold. - Yeah. - Freezing. - Like, what's the temperature? - 62. - No, 62? - And my bed, it's like a ventilated, so it gets even colder. - How do you not wake up sick? 62. - 62. And I sleep with one sock on. - Why one? - 'Cause you just need one. - Do you sleep with one leg outside of the covers? - Don't need to. - Like the one without the, well, yeah, you don't. - Don't need to. - 62 is crazy. - I'm talking like. - Yeah, that's crazy. - I also sleep with like a full sweatsuit on. - Okay, that makes it, that makes a little bit more sense. And one sock? - And one sock. - Do you like alternate your feet? - Not usually. Usually the left foot. - The left foot is the one with the sock on? - Without the sock. - Without the sock on. - Yeah. - That's interesting. - I know. - 62 is kind of crazy, but I feel like, to be fair, I feel like sleeping warm is the unpopular. I think a lot of people prefer-- - When it's cold? - Yeah. - Like when I go to a hotel room, you walk in the hotel and it's like already cold. I'm like, nah, 72, 74. 72, 74. But when it's time to go to bed, I'm talking, I want like lizard experience. - But that's because you want to be under the covers and you want to feel warm under there. You don't want to necessarily feel cold in your sleep, right? - Correct. Yeah, 'cause I'm cozy up underneath that thing. - Yeah, that makes sense. - I had to change it recently because I realized it was making it hard for me to get out of the bed. - Because it's so cold. - 'Cause it's so-- - Yeah, like in the winter when you have to get up, yeah, no. - Yeah. - So wait, like how does a point system work in this game? Or we're not keeping score? - You want to keep score already? We don't have to. - She should have been a jersey. - I just want to know. - She should have been a jersey with her knee high boots on. - How are we doing this thing? - One, one is cool. Oh, okay. - One, one is cool. I'm scared now, because now I've put a lot of pressure on myself to not lose. Well, actually, I have another question about sleep. Yeah. How are you sleeping these days? I'm sleeping great. I mean, like, baby and all? Well, he's not in his, like, newborn phase. Yeah. If I came up here in the newborn phase, I probably wouldn't even know where I was. I really value sleep, and the newborn stage, when you have a newborn, obviously, they wake up every two, three hours. Some people, one of my best friends just had a baby, and she's up every hour. What? It's rough. Give it back. Every hour? Give it back. It's rough. How old is the baby? Brand new. Yeah, he's not even a month old yet. It's still time. You got a receipt. You don't. Yeah, 90 days at least? No. No receipt. Zero. What? Zero days. But, like, it was tough. I can't lie, because I really, I can't function if I don't sleep. Like, you know some people can function off of four or five hours' sleep? Yes. Yep. I'm the complete opposite. To fully function and to fully give you a full blown, yeah, I need at least eight hours of sleep. So, I was struggling. I'm not going to lie. I was struggling. I'm sleeping good now. For now? Yeah. He's completely out. He's been sleeping through the night since he was maybe six or seven months old. You said in this book, we not going to be doing that. Yeah. I was like. It's not one every hour. Yep. You got to get yourself together. Mm-hmm. He listened. And he sleeps like me, so I'm pretty fortunate now. I know that's right. Yeah. I'm sleeping good. Otherwise, you put a little whiskey on the gums. Shower in the morning or at night? At night. Okay. Okay. I don't know. Yeah, this one's tough. Here come the sun. Yeah, it's coming. Little baby. Yeah. Okay, I'm ready. Your question, so you first. Okay, yeah. One, two, three. I'm losing. Yeah. Damn. Nighttime. Because I want to oil up. I want to get my body in the water. But you look so refreshed and so radiant now. I was like, "Oh, yeah. It must be morning." Nighttime. Because also, I want to get in the bed and be fresh. Yeah. Well, that's important. Okay. Ready when you are. I'm going to cheat. What do you mean? I want to just be like, "Also." You put morning. One, two, three. I almost- Heavy on the exclamation mark. I almost wrote down both. I literally almost did. I wanted to write it for you, but I was just like, "I don't know if I'm actually cheating by picking this answer because you technically told me to pick one." I literally almost wrote both. Heavy on the exclamation mark. Really? I don't know if I'm actually cheating by picking this answer because you technically told me to pick one. I literally almost wrote both. Really? I don't know. I don't know. I can't leave my house without showering. It's part of your process. Yeah. Then, like you said, I can't get in my bed without taking off- The day. The day. I have to do morning and night. You got to glisten. Yeah. I have this discussion with people quite a lot actually because I feel like people who don't shower twice a day always say it makes more sense at night. At night. Which it does. I can understand that. But I'm still like, "You sweat in your sleep. You. I mean, you sleep in 62." Okay. Okay. I'm safe. You're safe. You're safe. Do you do cold showers ever? I feel like if I'm on holiday and it's really, really hot outside and I was on the beach or something, then yeah, but not so much. Mm-mm. I'm not a cold plunger. Oh, I'm not a cold plunger at all. I'm not like a shock the body. Yeah, no. I'm a low the body. I'm the same. When I get a massage, I don't want you to be rough with me. No. So you like soft pressure? You don't even need pressure. You could just- What's the point of the massage? Me time. Yeah. Okay. You could sit in the room and write a book. Let me take a nap. Let me just lay on this bed. Have some good music and have it smell good. Spray something in the air once in a while. You good over there? The last time I had a massage, I can't remember exactly why I was so tired, but I was so tired. And you know when you're falling asleep and you can feel yourself snore, but you're half awake and half asleep? And I was half awake, half asleep, and I felt myself do the biggest snore and then I woke up out of my relaxation. I was so embarrassed. I was like, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry." She's like, "It's okay." Better than a fart. Oh yeah. My mom was a massage therapist for a while and- I know. They hear all types of- She was like, "You go to sleep. You relax." You know what though? Also my stomach rumbles a lot in massages. Yeah. Because they're too rough with you. That's why- No. No. I think it's just like, I don't know if it's the way that you're laying and then- Because you're too rough. I'd be hungry. Because you haven't eaten. You'd be a little hungry. See? So I've been on this mask and lather journey and my hair has never looked better. So now it's time to tackle the beard. So your boy stays looking like he's fresh out of puberty, right? And I already trust this black owned family run business. So when I found out that Bask and Lather had a beard kit, you already knew what time it was. The beard growth magic is designed to stimulate growth in those thin patchy areas, which actually makes up most of my beard. And the stimulating beard and hair balm nourishes and adds shine. All natural. Nothing unnecessary. Same philosophy they bring to everything that they make. This is me just getting started and I want y'all on this journey with me. Can we get full beards? Can we stand up for the full beards, please? Explore viral bestsellers and products for healthier hair of all types from Bask and Lather. Go to BaskandLatherCo.com and use code "Houseguest" for 20% off. That's 20% off at BaskandLatherCo.com. Code "Houseguest." Okay. You go next. Okay. Okay. I'm going to go on or off. I like this question. Okay. Okay. I feel like I got this. Yeah? Okay. You ready? This is mine. This is yours first? Yeah. One, two, three. Off! Off! You know what I will say? I will say about this. As I've gotten older, as I've gotten older, I kind of. I used to hate subtitles. Same. I really, really, really used to despise of them. I haven't finished Parasite because I was like, "I'm tired of reading." Oh, yeah. Yeah. It makes me sad because my brother always tells me. My brother's really into film and he's always recommending me a lot of films that are obviously from other places so unique so you have to have the subtitles but I can't do it. I would rather a dub. Give me the dub. Yeah. I don't want that either. Give me the dub. I just won't watch. I'm telling you. Which is terrible because I'm completely eliminating a whole. Elite, the little show about the high school kids in Spain? I haven't. Couldn't tell you what their voices sound like because all I got is dub actors. The dub. I can't watch your mouth move a certain way and then it sounds completely different. I'm not even looking at your lips. What are you looking at? I don't know. Something else. If you watch Elite, you know what I'm talking about. No. I used to really, really hate them. I will say as I've gotten older, sometimes I can do a little subtitle because my brain switches off quicker but. What do you think I did? One, two, three. No. We're struggling. What happened? We got to tap that in. We're struggling. We're struggling. We're struggling. Dang. Okay. Okay. If you put subtitles on the screen for me, I'm reading the whole movie. And you're not. I'm like, "Oh, no. I wasn't reading what she said." Now you have to go back and then. Yeah. Yeah. Or I'm reading the whole. I'm trying to play a game with yourself. Now you've got Game of Thrones on, you're trying to watch. You're like, "Okay. Okay. I got it. I read it all. But I don't know what's happening because I ain't seen none of the actual show." There's too much going on. Yes. You mean to tell me you can do this? Yeah. It's too much. I can't do that. I can't do it either. Dang. We're still at 1-1. We should. But the thing is, we were tapped in on that. Just didn't know the other person would be tapped in on that. Okay. Here we go. Love Island or House of Dragons? Hey. I think I'm going to go out on a limb on this. Okay. Side note. Can I eat this Chips and Guac? Girl, yes. Oh, okay. Because I'm looking at it and I'm like, "I don't know if I'm supposed to. " You see me eating it? It's supposed to be. I didn't see you eat it, so I was like, "Oh, maybe I shouldn't be eating it." Yeah, that one is for you. That one has onions in it. I don't like onions. You like onions? Mm-hmm. I don't like the bite of an onion. Yeah. I like the flavor. There's an onion powder in mine, but not an onion. But not the. I hear that. It's me first, right? Mm-hmm. Okay. One, two. Yeah! The only reason I know this is because you just. I just brought it up like an idiot. Well, in the subtitles, you said Game of Thrones, so I'm like. Why'd I say that? You watch Game of Thrones, you watch House of Dragons, so. Yes. As soon as I saw the card, I was like, "Well, damn." Well, what do you like better, Game of Thrones or House of Dragons? Okay. I'm going to tell you. I really like Game of Thrones. Okay. Why? When they brought Jon Snow back after he died, I was like, "Oh, so now all of a sudden we got resurrection powers?" There's a whole bunch of people we want to bring back to life. I'm probably one of the only people on this earth that has never watched Game of Thrones. Not one? I've walked in the room, one time all my best friends are watching it, and it's always been absolute craziness, and I just walk straight back out and stuff like this. You just leave the room? The amount of stuff that happens in that show, every time I've walked in, I'm like, "I don't think I should watch this." It's crazy to think about trying to explain to you the first season of Game of Thrones. There are these zombie things, right? The winter is coming. Yeah. But there's also these twins that are lovers, and one of the lovers kicked the son of another brother out of the window. He fell, but he didn't die, and he actually can see the future and the past, but he can't change it. Turns out the whole story is being told, and there's dragons, oh, and there's a rare witch, and there's a rare wedding, but they're not connected. Yeah, that shit sounds crazy as hell. Every time I would walk in, first of all, it would be 3,000 naked people in one room. Yep, Littlefinger would get it on. And then I would find out somebody is a brother, and somebody is a sister, it was too much going on for me. I mean, listen, that was a little- But wait. You said that- I'm not condoning it at all. Somebody- I'm not a proponent of incest, I'm just saying, in the show, it was interesting. You said somebody could see the future and the past, but couldn't change it. Yeah. Ooh, there's a bee. Uh-oh. Is it a bee? It was, but it's gone. I saw my life. I saw my life. Are you allergic? Yeah. Kill him. Uh-oh. If you had a superpower, what would you want it to be? I'm gonna be honest with you. If it was superpower, storm. I wanna be storm. I'm gonna count that as all one superpower. - Okay. - I wanna be able to fly and control the weather. What would your superpower be? You already got one. - Thank you. But if I had to choose again. - Earl is out here for real today. - What's your superpower, Earl? Oh, he's quiet now. - Not becoming a chicken sandwich? See? We knew that. - If I could pick again, it would be, I go back and forth between time traveling and being invisible. - Is that because you're famous? - No, it has nothing to do with fame. I just think like almost, I guess, like being a fly on the wall. - Yeah. - Like I'm nosy. So like- - You're like, "I wanna be in here." - I get to be in places that I shouldn't be in and nobody will know. And I'll just be like, "Oh, okay." - Interesting. Okay, House of Dragons or Love Island? - Yes! - Ah, how did you know? - No! - I just felt like you were not a Love Island girl. - I'm not, which is funny 'cause I feel like a lot of- - This is everywhere right now. - Yeah, and a lot of British people are. - Sincere is running people ragged. - I'm not a huge reality TV show fan. But honestly, I'm not really a huge TV fan. - I figured that about you. - Yeah. That's why I was like, "Mm, I'm gonna go with none." - I'm not a, I guess I just told you I haven't, well, you wrote it before, but I haven't watched Game of Thrones like, and all of the new things that come out that everyone watches. I just, I don't watch TV that much. - So what do you watch when you're watching something? - I mean, for the most part on my TV, I will put music on. So it will be a music video or it will be like a playlist or whatever and it's just playing and I'm not actually watching the TV. If I had to sit down and watch the TV, the last thing I watched in bulk would probably be, oh, I guess it's reality TV-ish, Love on the Spectrum. - Yeah. - I love Love on the Spectrum. - I do too. - Don't you just root for everybody? - I just love them. Logan is my favorite. - They don't even care. - But you know what, that's how we all should be. - It's true. The little guy who was doing the speed dating though and was writing down his thoughts while they were doing the speed date. - Oh, yeah, wait, who was that again? - He was like, "No, thank you." - And they could see it. - Yes, he was like, "Yeah, no thank you, no thank you." - But really and truly, he was being honest. That's how he felt. - We wrapped this up. How you end a speed date early? - He was uninterested. - He said, "No, thank you." - At least he's not wasting her time. Imagine you went on a date and someone literally, like you sat down, just got there. - No, thank you. - Didn't even get our guac and chips yet. - Oh, you know what, I gotta go. - No, thank you. - Why, what happened? - No, thank you. - Well, I think a no thank you was better than someone like, "Oh, I gotta take this phone call. "Oh, I'm so sorry, something came up, I have to go." Like, no thank you was just like, "Well, at least I know you don't like me." - True. - Instead of like, "Oh, maybe, did he have something to do?" - But I need a little bit more feedback. Like, what happened, I just sat down. Did I smell or something? Did I hit something with my teeth? He was like, "Nah, I'm not into it, thank you." - Bye-bye. Now all I do is watch kids' shows. - It's true. - I was gonna say, if the TV's on, all I do is watch kids' shows. - I'm not mad at that little bluey situation and all that. - My son's obsessed with "Trash Truck." It's like a Netflix original. It's a little boy who's best friends with a trash truck. And they go around and-- - I'm about to pitch Netflix some kids' shows. - No, it's actually really good, I will say. - The little boy got a "Trash Truck" friend? - He has a "Trash Truck" friend, he has a raccoon friend, he has a bear friend, and he has a mouse friend. - It sounds like you describing "Game of Thrones." - Well, maybe I just need it in a less complex way. Like, maybe "Trash Truck" is the way that my brain computes it, 'cause "Game of Thrones," although I've heard it's like the best thing to ever come out. - It's crazy. And now "House of Dragons," they got more black people in it? I was like, "Yeah, I gotta watch it." - Do you know what I also feel like? This is how I felt with "Breaking Bad," too, 'cause I've never seen "Breaking Bad," and I know that's also something that everyone-- - I got two episodes in, I said, "This is not for me." - You wasn't feeling it? - It's the meth. - I also feel like when I'm too-- - I'm not really into meth. - Me neither. - You know, I don't wanna spend a whole bunch of time with these meth heads, I don't, I'm good. - I feel you, I absolutely feel you. - It's too much struggle. - Yeah, but I feel like, for me, personally, if something came out however long ago, and there's like 20 seasons already, I'm too far behind. I can't catch up on 20 seasons of, like, how many-- - I'll be 35 before I finish this. - How many seasons are there of "Game of Thrones?" - Six, I think, of "Game of Thrones," three, or in the third season of "House of Dragons." I don't know, maybe eight to 10? - Yeah, like, I'm already way too far, I'm way too far behind. The only thing I could do that with is "Desperate Housewives." - "Desperate Housewives," not "Housewives of Atlanta"? - "Desperate Housewives." I could re-watch that over and over and over again. - Really? - Yeah. - When going out to eat, check the reviews or trust the vibe. - Shit. - I think I know your answer from that. - No, that was, I feel like I got yours. - Okay. - Sorry for my handwriting, y'all, I've had rum. Okay, so it's you first, right? - Mm-hmm. - Okay, one, two. - Three, two, one. - See? - So this is kind of a cheat, though, because really and truly, my manager looks up all the places that we go to, but she's a really big foodie. She's a really big foodie. - Okay, okay. - So she's always checking the reviews. So I know if we're going somewhere that she suggested, which is nine times out of 10, the-- - The situation? - The situation, we check the reviews and we're good. And yeah, she has great taste and she's a foodie. I'm not a big foodie. I'm not really selling myself, girl. I don't watch movies, I'm not a foodie. Like, I'm the type of person that could eat the same thing every day. I'm very, like, routine. - Same, 100%. 'Cause if I like it, I like it. - Yeah, we don't have to fix what's not broken. - No. Okay, one, two, three. - Oh, really? - Yes, yes. - But you were so detailed with how you were doing everything with our drinks and we have a whole set up. - But like, I want that, give me the ambiance. - Okay. - Some of the food could be forgiven if the beverage is delicious. - Okay, all right, yeah. - If, you know, it's cozy or it's romantic, I mean, the music is good, it's got a beautiful view. - What if it has a beautiful view, you know, like, great vibe, everything was great, but the food was really bad? - The food is bad if food is bad. And like, I'm gonna say the food is bad, but I will have gone. - Yeah. - Like, I'm not the person that's like, oh, let's go to dinner tonight and everything's gotta be 4.5 stars or above. I don't need four references for, you know, we gotta check Google Maps, then we gotta check-- - Yelp. - Yelp, then we gotta check Rezzy and Food Review. I don't need to do that. I'm like, are people in there? - I guess, yeah, well, that's a big indicator, too. - Are people in there? - 'Cause if no one's in there, then we might have a little bit of an issue. - We might be having an issue. - Yeah. I still would check the reviews, but I wouldn't do like four different review places. But like I said, I get a cheat code because-- - Folks be crazy. - She does it all. That was fun. - I'ma just say this. - I think I'm winning. - You won, you won! - Ah! - I lost that last question. - You did. - Should we eat? - Yes, we shall. - Ready to do it? Taco time! - Let's do it. - But you got sushi, so. - Mm-hmm. - Right? - You know I've been eating the guac the whole time. - And then gonna say, I think I'm low-key allergic-- - Just a little bit. - To avocado. - Makes my tongue feel funny if I eat too much of it. But, still eat it. - Which also could be the lime. - Could be. - Could be the lime, salt from the chip. You know, it's like too many margaritas. Tongue all swollen. - Regardless, I'm gonna eat it. - Your first kid. - Mm-hmm. - What was it like to come home and be like, "So my, we're gonna have a little baby." - You know, my mom was, it was, my mom was in England still. Once I found out, I was like, "What's a good way I can tell her?" Rather than just calling her and being like, "Oh, mom, I'm pregnant." - Right. - So I'd sent her some flowers, and I sent her a bunny rabbit with the flowers. And on the card for the flowers, it said, "Keep this safe, grandma." So my mom and my grandma lived together. And I think once she got it, she was like, she was a bit confused 'cause it said grandma. So she thought that I sent it for my grandma 'cause they live in the same house. - Right. - So she called me and she was like, "Oh." - Where are my flowers? - It says grandma, and I was like, "Yeah." And then it like, then the wheels started working. She was like, "Oh my gosh!" She was really excited. It's my mom's first grandchild, so. - Right. - Yeah, she was really, really excited and really, really supportive of my whole pregnancy. And I had a really amazing pregnancy, I will say. - It must be the athlete in you. - You know, I'm blessed. I'm tall, also. I feel like tall women carry a little bit easier just because we have, you know, like, shorter women. I think it's dependent on your body frame, I guess, yeah. - Right. - I was so sure. I was like, oh, I feel like I'm gonna gain so much weight and I'm gonna be like, but I carried really well. I was literally all belly. - Really? - Didn't really, yeah, I didn't really gain much weight. I was back into my jeans maybe like a week and a half after I had my sons. - I'm sorry, what? - I was really blessed and I'm really, really grateful 'cause I know that's not the case for everyone. - Did you do a re where you didn't, you didn't do any maternity wear? - I didn't wear maternity clothes, but I also like, I dress like a little boy anyway. So like, being in sweats and stuff, it's stretchy. It's not like I'm ever like really, really in tight clothes like that anyway. So it just works and I can just wear a big t-shirt and some sweats or a big hoodie and some sweats and I was cool, yeah. - Yeah. When did you know that you had his name? - We had to wait until we knew whether we were having a boy or a girl. Okay, if it's a boy, we had like two options, I think. And if it's a girl, we had two options. - Tell me one of the names for the girls. - Well, I don't wanna say it 'cause if I have, I wouldn't want kids, so if I have a girl, I'm fine. - Wait, you do want more kids? - Yeah, not yet, but I do want more kids. - Really? Is there a number? - I will say before I had my son, I was never super, super maternal. I was okay with like, oh, if I don't have kids, then that's fine. - I'm okay with that. - Yeah, but now that I've had him, and now that I'm like, again, out of the newborn phase, 'cause if you would've asked me when he was first born, I was like, I don't want any more kids. - We're done. - Now that I feel like I kinda know what I'm doing, I kinda have a hang of it, I'm like, oh, I think it would be cool for him to have some more siblings. He already has a brother, but like, to have some more siblings, so. - Yeah. - Realistically, realistically. - It's about when the chin and the cheek come out. - Yeah, realistically, I probably have one more. Two is a stretch. Two is a stretch. - So you're just gonna be twins, you know that, right? - God forbid, don't, don't, don't put that energy over here. I really commend you. - He said, "Don't do me." commend women who have twins triplets like one one child is enough especially just even just in pregnancy let alone once you have the child but like yeah your body goes through so many changes like your hormones are all over the place yeah and then you have the child and the thought of like putting one baby to sleep and then the other baby starts crying and now this baby is up too i'm like or looking at you like i ain't going to sleep like yeah no i mean and obviously if that was to happen to me i would i would feel blessed and i would enjoy it regardless of course my preference my preference would be yeah i i definitely do i do want more kids yeah did you ever anticipate the way it would change you becoming a mother you can't really explain it until it happens and and that is a thing where you're like oh okay because you like you genuinely don't understand right and then it happens and you're like oh i completely understand but it's not really something that you can describe that well like i said i wasn't super maternal so i never really understood what it was like to be a mother and i never really understood what it was like to be a mother and i never really understood what it was like to be a mother and i never really imagined myself as a mom yeah i never even allowed the space to be like oh i wonder what it would be like i mean i'm sure it's come up in my mind a few times but yeah i wasn't like i didn't really think of it and then it happened i feel like for women like the moment that you find out your whole world kind of just changes because you just have to think differently you're now like responsible for a whole human being which is absolutely insane when you really think about the concept of it and then they just give the baby yeah you just leave the hospital it's like okay here's your time all right well what am i supposed to do now figure it out like yeah i feel like i would have never imagined i feel like he's taught me a lot of patience i will say because i was i'm still not a very patient person but i'm getting better before i had it i was so impatient why can i absolutely i can absolutely see that in you very impatient like hurry up let's go it's very impatient i do like to be on time yeah yeah and respect people's time you know so especially if i have to wait for someone i'm like here we go yes but i am getting better with patience because obviously with children you you have to be patient they don't they don't understand all the time they don't you know and i think it's not even a it's not something i have to actively choose it just happens because that's my son you know i mean so i feel like i've always been pretty loving and nurturing but i think it's just a whole different level of like i think about my child childhood and my relationship with my mom or like my relationship with my brother and like those those times are so important in shaping the person that you become and there are a lot of things that are important in shaping the person the people that we become sorry that immediate family bond is very very important it's everything yeah i think becoming a mom made me appreciate my mom a lot more yeah and appreciate my upbringing a lot more because you just kind of see it from a different lens now how would you describe your childhood because you did you you lived in london born and raised in london until i was 12 and then moved to the u.s yes and went to school in queens yes played soccer here in queens you said play football in london as well you're like for real athlete i used to be i don't know about anymore i might not be i'm better if i kick we kick the ball right now you would say you would yeah i can kick the ball i don't know if i'm gonna be able to run for 90 minutes but i can kick the ball definitely because this world cup is kicking their ass oh who are you rooting for i'm in a pool okay and i got algeria okay what about you england of course i will say i feel like this is one of the first world cups i remember that like it's been as competitive as it is like i think for a long time a lot of the teams were a lot better than the rest you know like there were a certain amount a certain group of teams that were a lot better than the rest of the countries and it kind of just always went that way but it feels extremely competitive this year yeah and i think just in general for the world right now and especially in america for for america to be able to host the world cup like i feel like it was needed like this it feels like everything is so divided a lot of the time that this has been like a great way for people to come together yeah i think it was it was necessary yeah how did you find uh football how did you find the sport um my brother so i have an older brother he's five years older than me okay and in england football is our main sport and i think it's a great way for people to come together yeah i think it's a great way for people to come together yeah i think it's a great way for people to come together and uh my brother and uh my brother and uh my brother supports man united and i'm an arsenal fan so supports man united and i'm an arsenal fan so supports man united and i'm an arsenal fan so we support different teams but arsenal huh yes we support different teams but arsenal huh yes we support different teams but arsenal huh yes i am an arsenal fan the way you looked up at me i am an arsenal fan the way you looked up at me i am an arsenal fan the way you looked up at me and said yes you were like you were like and said yes you were like you were like and said yes you were like you were like i was waiting for something i'm like why i was waiting for something i'm like why i was waiting for something i'm like why try me if you want to she said yes try me if you want to she said yes try me if you want to she said yes arsenal i was looking at that beyonce arsenal i was looking at that beyonce arsenal i was looking at that beyonce clip clip clip what beyonce when she's in an interview what beyonce when she's in an interview what beyonce when she's in an interview with with uh a guy from the uk and he with with uh a guy from the uk and he with with uh a guy from the uk and he said something about the arsenal and she said something about the arsenal and she said something about the arsenal and she was like are you what'd you say oh yes was like are you what'd you say oh yes was like are you what'd you say oh yes i didn't know i was like yeah you're i didn't know i was like yeah you're i didn't know i was like yeah you're a fan of football arsenal she's like are Are you cursing at me? - She had no clue. I am an Arsenal fan, but it's really based on the fact that I used to love Thierry Henry as a child, and he played for Arsenal. My dog is called Thierry 'cause he's a French Bulldog, and Thierry Henry is French, so. - Oh, okay, so it's real for you. - Oh, it's real. This is real, it's real. But my brother loved football. I feel like as a little girl, even though he was my brother and not my sister, I just kind of wanted to be my big brother. - Of course. - I would go and watch him play football when I was young, and then I was kind of like, oh, I like this. And me and my best friend were kind of like tomboys-ish, and all the boys at our school would play football. None of the girls would play football, and I was just like, why don't we just play football? So we started playing with the boys, and then a bunch of the girls kind of joined in, and then we would play boys v. girls, and we would get our ass kicked a lot of the times. But yeah, and it was really just 'cause my brother loved it, and then I started playing it, and I kind of just fell in love with it. - Right, and got good at it. - Yeah. - Good enough to play it, you moved to the U.S., your mom got a job. - Yes, my mom was a teacher. I had family in New York, and she'd always loved New York. She came as a teenager, and then went back to England, and then was always kind of, her goal was kind of like, I want to get back to New York. She loved New York. I go to New York, and I get-- - What was that like? Your mom was like, we're moving to New York. You're like, yes! Or are you like-- - No. - No! - Yeah, I think I was, at the time, I was so used to being around my friends. Like, I'm a 12-year-old, so you know, I had the same friends, my two best friends, who are still my two best friends to this day, - Really? - That I had, yeah, I had started school with, and we'd kind of, we'd gone to the same schools. We all lived in the same area. We had, like, you know, like, this was just what I knew my life to be. - Right. - So now, and I'd been to New York before on holiday, like, maybe at Christmas or whatever, but like, going on holiday somewhere and living somewhere-- - Totally different. - Two completely different things. - Yeah, yeah. - I can't say I was ecstatic. I don't think I was super, super sad. I was sad to leave my friends, but I was like, okay, well, you know, we'll see how it goes type of thing. - Yeah. - And then I got to New York and absolutely hated it for the first year. - Everybody does. - But-- - Because you're like, oh, it's really dirty out here. It's really dirty. - The craziest part is you get so used to it when you live there. I will say, when I moved to New York, I was so different already. I had an English accent. And when I first moved to New York, I moved to Jamaica, Queens, because I lived with my cousin. The area that I'm from in England was, like, quite diverse. Like, I was used to going to school with people from a bunch of different cultures. And when you get picked up and put in Jamaica, Queens-- - Not the same. - Yeah, it's all Black people, which is fine. I'm half Black. Like, my mom is Black, so cool. But it was just different for a 12-year-old. And American culture is just very different to English culture. - It's very different. - So I get picked up and put in this school. I felt like I was so different. And I'm quite an outgoing person. And I've always-- you know, I've had my friends. I've never been a shy person. And then I got to New York, and I just felt so different that I kind of, like, went into a little shell. Because everybody would always ask me to talk all the time. Like, can you say banana? Do you know Harry Potter? Do you-- like, just-- the craziest things. But I was 12. And 12 is a difficult age. - It's a difficult age. - Like, you're about to go through puberty. Or you're already going through puberty. And I'm just, like, in this completely new environment. I didn't know anyone. Like, I had a cousin, but she's older than me. So we didn't go to the same school at first. - Right, right, right. - I just felt like the ugly duckling, almost. Like, I just stood out so much that I was like, hmm. - You turned inward. - Yeah, I'm going to be quiet. Nobody knew I could sing. Didn't tell anyone I could sing, because I was just like, I feel like I already stick out so much. I don't want anyone to have another reason to be like, - Demand something of me. - Yeah. So the five years that I lived in New York, I didn't sing until my high school graduation. And everyone was like, why did nobody know that you could sing? - Why didn't anybody know? - My high school graduation, they were like, uh, OK. And then I was about to leave and go back to England. - Right, toodaloo. - So it was just like, see ya. But yeah, I just felt so different. And maybe that's also why I leaned into football a little bit more, because it's a team sport. - Yeah. - So it's not necessarily like-- all the focus is on me. And then I still also got to feel a bit of like-- because I played football when I was at home, so I still felt like, OK, cool, this feels normal. - You know this. - Yeah. But it didn't have to be like main character. - You just went back to one of your schools and you saw a coach of yours. And I think I saw you say, I heard you say, you didn't expect to ever see this coach after you left. It seemed like a very emotional moment for you. - Yes. - And you were like, but I'm just going to keep on walking. Where are we headed next? - Yeah, yeah. - Where are we headed next? - So I did this event for FIFA that they do at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens. Now, Flushing Meadow Park, at the time that I went to high school in Queens, my specific school-- because it was quite a small school, sorry-- we didn't have a field. - OK. - So our home pitch, technically, our home field was at Flushing Meadow Park. - So it was like going back to your old stomping grounds. - So my stomping grounds, almost. So to be back in that same place where I actually played football as a teenager, but like to be back now as an artist, it's like almost like a juxtaposition-ish, was like all of my worlds collide. And especially a world that I shied away from so much when I lived in New York. If you would have asked me when I was 16-- - To get on the stage and sing. - Yeah, or told me like, oh, you know, in 10 years or however many years you're going to be back here performing, I would have been like, yeah, probably not. - Right. - And then to have my trainer, who is who you're talking about, has been the same one for-- he must-- he has to have been there for at least 20 years now. And genuinely, I think about-- when I think about it, I'm like, when I left. school and just in my head I was moving back to England also so I didn't know that my path would cross me back in America but secondly you know like in this way so I saw him and I felt emotional honestly because to see him now in the position that I'm in and just like he's the same man he's so sweet and just also so helpful and to see that he's also still helping you know he still works in the school he's still helping the football team and just like it was just an amazing moment and I genuinely I never thought I would see him again because for what reason would I if you get what I mean it was great honestly. It's unreal. I think it's something I will remember for the rest of my life. Yes this episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Neighbors can we talk about the summer for a second because everybody acts like it's automatically supposed to be the best time of the year and for some people it is but for a lot of us it's a lot the trips the cookouts the concerts everybody's outside and everybody's got plans and so before you know it every weekend is booked and you're supposed to be having the summer of your life but honestly for me these days a good summer means protecting my time actually building in downtime saying no to things that drain me and checking in with myself before I hit empty. Therapy has been a big part of how I figure out what I actually need versus what I think I'm supposed to want and that's why I'm glad that this episode is sponsored by Better Help. They're the world's largest online therapy platform over 30,000 licensed therapists serving more than six million people and a 4.9 out of five average rating from over 1.7 million client reviews. Now they match you based on your needs and your preferences and so if it's not the right fit you can switch at any time. You don't have to say yes to everything this summer. Find support in therapy and sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash houseguest that's betterhelp.com slash houseguest. Tell me what it is like what it means to hear in the world. Do you think about sometimes like how different your life would be had that phone call not happened? Oh 100% because that is actually a lot of people's story. I take myself back to that time it was like 19, 20 year old me. I graduated high school in New York and I moved back to London and I decided cool I either play football or I sing. These are the two things that I really really love in life and I would say I feel like my passion for football my passion for football is almost equal. That's why you've always got some athleticism in your swag. I mean I try. You do like it's all it's ever-present. I love it. If you were a Spice Girl you'd have been Sporty Spice. Yes absolutely that's a great yes. You know what I'm saying. So I kind of had to pick and at the time women's sports was in a very different place I will say also back this we're talking over 10 years ago now so like I was like does it really make sense for me to pursue football which is a horrible thought that people even have to choose have to choose but like it was the reality of what it was and I also was just like I've played football now for nine years at this point and I shied away from singing so much in the five years that I was in New York and I felt almost like I was yearning to like find that again because I hid it for so long. Yeah. So I ended up going to school for music and I was in a girl group before. Oh. While I wasn't yeah. Oh. You said oh I was I was getting into that. Oh X Factor situation. Yes I was on X Factor in a girl group. On X Factor in a girl group. Yes. And was like we'll see what happens. And then nothing happened. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. Like nothing. Like zero. Nothing happened. And you were like okay cool we did that we're done. What's funny about that time in my life and this was like the girl group was like right before I started to do my covers. So I was in school for music and that is where I met one of the other girls that was in the group with me. We lived down the street from each other and we instantly became like really really good friends. Yeah. So she tells me like oh I know this producer and he wants to put a girl group together and I was like absolutely not. Is that good? There's nothing enticing to me about being in a girl group. I'm like. How long do they last? Yeah I was like I'm I don't know about that. I don't know if I'm cut out to be in a girl group. And she was like you know just let's just try it. She was like we're not signing contracts. We're not you know doing any of that. Like let's just see how it goes. Let's go to the studio. And so I go to the studio with her and we meet this other girl that he said he wanted in the group. And we all hit off. So we're like okay. And then one of the members she was like I have song I've been a songwriter my whole life. So she's going to write the songs and blah blah. So I'm like cool just tell me what to do. Right. Fine I'll just be here. So then it happened that X Factor were scouting at my school. So we get through our scouting rounds. There's three rounds of scouting rounds and everyone seemed like really excited. Okay. And we're like wow we like did so well in these scouting rounds. We're about to win. Yeah. We're about to win. Call us the Pussycat Dolls. Yes. Period. We're about to win. We get to the first round of the TV. So like we've already had three auditions but this is now TV auditions. And we get four yeses from the judges. Like oh this is great. You guys are you guys are great. This feels fresh. This feels new. Blah blah. So we're like yeah. You're like. We were like had all of our families. Say less. Three different families. Three different friend groups. Like everyone had way too many people. It was really obnoxious actually. This is our concert. Yeah like had way too many people with us. But like everyone was really excited. And so then you go to the next round. So we go to the next round and we get four no's. Sorry. Same judges went from four yeses to four no's. Damn that must have hit a bad note or something. I mean I thought we did okay. But then when I think about it I never actually saw that audition back because we didn't even make it. That part didn't wasn't on TV. So we didn't see it back which I think is a blessing in disguise. Yeah because it would be every time we see you. I think it's a blessing in disguise. Y'all didn't say nothing. Like what you mean four no's. No I took my L and I walked off and I was like well that's that. We'll be seeing you again. Yeah I was like that's that. Love you. Kiss y'all. Bye bye. Maybe a couple months after X Factor we were kind of just like I don't think this is what we want to do. And it was a mutual decision for all of us to split. We were kind of like. We were just like kind of not into it. So you decided to do covers after that. So after that I was like you know what I've I've experienced a little bit in the in the smallest form of what I want to do and I enjoyed it and I really enjoyed it. So I'm like it would be silly of me to think just because I'm not going to be in this group that I technically didn't even really want to be in anyway. That music is not my thing. Yeah. And when I think about it now in hindsight I didn't have a clue what I was doing when I was making those covers. I was just like it was Instagram had just released Instagram videos. When you could only put 15 seconds up. So I was like well I have to make these 15 seconds count. Right. I still lived in my mom's house. I was in my bedroom. I had no mic. I was using a YouTube backing track. Right. And my iPhone. Now was your mom always encouraging. Very. For you to go into music. Yeah. Because I would imagine like Caribbean mother Jamaican mother is like girl we're going to get out here and get a job. Yeah. Well I mean my mom wasn't born in Jamaica. My mom was born in England. OK. My grandparents were born in Jamaica. So I feel like she's kind of had a little bit. She softened up a little bit. She was she's a little bit softer than like what my grandma was when my mom was growing up. Exactly. Your mom is a teacher. Yeah. Because her mama was like hey hey. You have to do. We go hey. Yeah. What we doing. Yes. But my mom has always been super encouraging and I feel like a lot of it comes from probably feeling like she couldn't necessarily do exactly what she wanted to do and she never wanted us to feel like we couldn't really do what it was that we wanted to do. Pursuing your dream. Yes. Can she sing? No. Not at all. No. You said that way too fast. She cannot sing. And she will tell you that. My mom's not musical. I like I come from a musical family. I grew up in church with my grandma. One of my aunties is a singer. My dad is actually quite musical too. So I come from music. Right. But she's not the one. It skips my mom. But she's always been super super super supportive. And even when I didn't really sing in New York she would be like you know. Where'd this go? Yeah. Because the one thing I did try in New York I was going to audition for Frank Sinatra high school. So a year after I was there and I got there and I didn't realize that you had to know the national anthem. Yeah. I heard this didn't go well. I didn't know the national anthem, so I couldn't audition. And I think that was also another thing that I was just like, another knock. Yeah. I was like, forget it. Yeah. Even then she was like, are you sure you don't want to? And I was like, no. And then when I came back to England and I said, you know, I think I'm, I think I'm going to do music. She was like, I think that's a good idea. I can't remember once in my life that my mom said, Oh, maybe you should have a plan B or maybe you should, you know, she's always been like, if that's what you want to do and go for it. That's amazing. And I'm very grateful for that. Cause I think it makes a very big difference. Oh my God. It makes all the difference. You'd be somewhere being an architect or something right now, or, and not to say that architect is a bad job, but like maybe perhaps doing something that you don't really love. Yeah. And I understand that, like, that's not everybody's story. Some people do have to do things just, you know, and I'm grateful that I get to do what I love and I get to get paid for it. And, you know, like it's incredible. It's incredible. So when I decided to do my covers, I was just like, I don't have anything to lose. Let's see how it goes. So yeah, I'm in my bedroom, YouTube back and track, iPhone, no mic, look in a mess. When I look back on this, I worked in retail. I didn't have any money. Like my hair wasn't done. I was just about to get this outfit, buy it and take it back. I didn't even do that. I was in like a t-shirt maybe like it was genuinely all I had at the time. Do you remember the first one you sang that hit? "679" by Fetty Wap. So one thing I will say that I decided to do in, which sounds crazy, I know. But I decided in my mind, if I'm gonna do this, and there's only 15 seconds, I need to do songs that are really, really popular. We talking like, "I said hey, what's up? Hello!" That Fetty Wap? Yeah, that Fetty Wap, yes, yes. "679" is, I'm like, yeah, he's fine. Well, that's the way I sung it. But yeah, he would say she, and I got this soda. Yeah, Remy boys, they know us. Yes, that. Whoa, I've never been this close to you when you sing. There's something that like activates. There's whoa. Really? I stopped because I'm like, okay, now I need my sound people. Oh my God. That's crazy. Do you see people's reaction to you change when you're singing? Yes. But it's the best feeling like that. That's why I was saying to you earlier, I love being on tour because it's just like the best, the best feeling. I can't handle that. I think I change also when I, you like, I got goosebumps. I like took my breath away a little bit and you weren't even doing like a whole bunch of like a, you know what I mean? You just started singing. Thank you. I'll never forget being closer to you than normal while you were performing. I think it was at the AMAs, American Music Awards. You helped me get world of dance. And I don't even know if you know it. I helped you get world of dance. What do you mean? You were on stage singing boot up. It still is one of my favorite songs. Oh, thank you. And I, I was, I was hosting the red carpet for the award show and I ran down to the stage to, to be closer to you while you were singing. And Stevie Mackey was standing there and we started losing it. You were, you're singing and we, he started singing a harmony and I was trying to, I tried to catch up with the harmony. Absolutely. I know he was in that same harmony. I know that. And we were cutting up so bad, so loud that at one point you were like, and I boot up. Like you looked over and was like, okay, not, not too much. I'm trying to. Like you want to get up on here with me? Yeah, exactly. Like I'm trying to, let me have my moment. We both shrunk down like, oh my God. That is hilarious. Ridiculous. Right. And behind him was, um, uh, Elaine Thomas and Benny Medina. Who are producing partners with Jennifer Lopez on Roll the Dance. What I found out later in my meeting that was called after this little run in that it was that moment that they said, why haven't we called Scott? That's incredible. I've been trying to get this job for years. Oh my God. I was on stage two days later. I'm so happy to be a part of that story. You are a part of like, I'm dead. I'm dead serious. I think about it all the time. That's incredible. I'm so glad you did them on the cover. You changed my life. Like truly that AMA's performance. I remember cause I walked down through the crowd and then I ended up on like a little, uh, platform and, and I don't remember you guys singing that loud. Genuinely. I don't, I'm going to tell you, I probably walked right behind you down. You probably did. I feel like I was award show performances. Like I don't get re I don't get nervous when I go on stage anymore. I get like really excited other than when I have to perform at award shows. I don't know what it is. I don't, it's a mental thing for sure. But especially at that time. Cause it was like, that had to have been the second, maybe third, right. Like it was still very, very new to me. And this was also the first time that I was like walking through the crowd. I'm like, what if I fall? What if I like all the things? Yeah. And when you're doing an award show, it's not all your fans, right? It's just like, it's a mixed crowd of people. Like they all, they wanted to see somebody else was going to go to know that you and Stevie were having a time. That's an incredible story. I'm glad I got to be a small, tiny part. Cause you did that for yourself. Girl, you helped me. You set the scene. Quincy Jones says the thing about, in particular musicians, but people, creatives, it's not about making magic. You set the scene, you create, you put in the pieces, you, you curate the space for magic to happen and you get out of the way. Yeah. Cause once we, once we give it to the world, it's not like, yeah, it's not really ours anymore. It's everybody else's like, I'm actually getting a little emotional. Oh, don't get emotional. Cause I start crying when people start crying. Do you for real? Yeah. No, we should probably pay again. We should probably play again. Cause I'm about to start crying. All right. This game is a crowd favorite. Earl's already going off. Like, yes, I was ready. This one's called take it to the stage. Take it to the stage. Before we get to the game, you're about to take it to the stage. I am about to take it to the stage with this tour. Yes. Yes. This album, I feel like it's also so primed for a tour. Don't you feel that like when you were creating this music, you had to be like, I cannot wait to sing this live. So like I'm in rehearsal right now. Some of these songs I'm singing for the first time in rehearsal, even though I've been on tour, but my set is changing now to start the U S even like with my vocal coach and, um, having my background singers in and I'm hearing like stuff that I forgot that is even in the track. Cause you know, stuff is tucked and whatever. And you hear these background vocals and I'm like, wow, I forgot that this was even here. And it just kind of took me back to the time of of recording. And it was just, I had so much fun recording this album. I kind of didn't want to put any pressure on myself and just really wanted to make music that like whatever I felt like that day came out. How many tracks did you actually create for the album before you got to the track list? We only did maybe like 30, maybe like 27 or 30. That's only only I say only because my sophomore album, which was during COVID. So we obviously had a lot more time, but I made 80 songs in my sophomore. Um, and you didn't use none of them 80 for this album. Zero. Oh, I'm lying. One, actually one. What happens to all that other music? They just live on my hard drive and I enjoy them in my car, man. If you don't release some of that music, man, do you know what? My sophomore album? I was so in my head because my debut album was so successful. I was like, oh my God, do I need to make another boot up? Do I need to make another trip? I just was thinking about it so much that I ended up just the process was just long and, and COVID. Yes. And I didn't want to do that again. Cause it wasn't fun. Although I love my sophomore album. Don't get me wrong. The stress that I put on myself. And it was really the stress Yeah. Of myself really like not coming from anywhere. But also I think that sophomore album is always sophomore album is always that challenge. You want it to be successful. You want it to still sound like you, but you also know that you've got to up the stakes in some sort of way. But 80 songs is just too, too many to pick from. It was so many arguments when we were trying to finalize the track list. Cause it was just like, it was just too many to pick from the process of elimination from 80 to 15. Yeah. Is ridiculous. So this time I was like, look, when we get to 30, we're stopping. Which song on this album, uh, surprised you the most hearing it finally finished? Maybe there goes my heart, which is the very first, the intro song is quite different from anything that I've put out before. And it's also, I feel like when you, when it first comes in, you expect it to kind of be like a ballad, but then like the drums come in and the drums weren't there when I first recorded it. Oh, they weren't. Yeah. So once I heard it as a whole, totally different song. Yeah. Once I heard it as a finished piece, I was like, wow, this is, this is, this is one of my favorite songs on the album. I like to work like that, like kind of have it bare at the start and have, have it build as we build the vocals too. Cause then you like kind of know where you're going. You build around the vocal, you build around or a core instrument and then you build out, you don't lay down on a full track. I mean, I have, yeah. But if my preference would be to, to kind of build it out. That's why you get in this pocket. Cause you really bid you're already in the pocket. I know that's right. And also the fact that you're changing the show for the us dates is like, that's cute. I just feel like the markets are so different in terms of like what people like to listen to. And like, if I go overseas, sometimes certain songs do better overseas. Yeah. We started overseas, which is also not what we usually do. Like we would usually start here on both tours that I've been on, uh, already. We started in the U S but I was like, I got, I kind of got to feel a few of them out overseas and see how they went. And then I'm like, okay, cool. Maybe we need to change this or maybe we need to. Yeah. So yeah, it's been really exciting. I'm really excited. What you just did with this, uh, waiting to a sale is crazy. Oh, oh, that's crazy. It's crazy. I was like, I'm also just like, I'm a girl's girl. I think a lot of people, uh, know that about me, but, oh, I hope that they know about that, about me. I'm a girl's girl, but I was just like, the song is just like actually kind of opposite to everything else on the album. Cause it's such a lovey dovey album, but this is the one where I was like, oh, let me talk my shit. Yeah. Just in case you try to act up. So I was like, who, who can be in this video with me so we can make it, you know, a real moment. And I feel like waiting to Excel is such an iconic movie. It has to be done correctly. And we didn't want to do it exactly like it. Cause I just feel like it needs to live by itself. It's also been done a lot of times. So I'm like, how could we subtly reference it, but still kind of make it our own. Almost. I was really, really happy that Taylor, Ryan and Coco opted in to burn some stuff down with me. Yeah. I love you said subtly, you know, we gonna burn this whole house down. The whole thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Fuck this car. I want the house on fire. Okay. So we've got some trivia from our game master here. Okay. And then the person who answers the trivia first gets to roll the die. The die will determine how many steps you, how many steps you get. Love this. Right. What country is hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup? USA, USA, USA. Okay. I got that right. Oh yeah. There's more. There's another country. Maybe two Canada and Mexico. Okay. I was like, huh? I gave you a hint. Shouldn't have gave you a hand. So I got that right. I can roll the dice. Okay. Thank you for your hint. That was so nice of you. Damn. I thought that was a six. Okay. One, two, then, then, then. Okay. So you've landed on a note. Okay. Pick up a card. Oh, do I have to sing? Probably. Sing your favorite song from a musical. Ooh. I can't see why people look at me and only see the color of my face. Oh yeah. Do you know that song? No, keep going. It's from Hatspray. How does it go? Oh yeah. But try to, hell God knows will always have to put me in my place. And I won't ask to be colorblind. Cause if you pick a fruit and girl, you're sure to find the black of the berry, the sweet of the juice. I can see it ain't so, but darling, what's the use? The darker the chocolate, the richer the taste. And that's where it's at. Boom, boom. Now, baby, run and tell that. Run and tell that. Oh, baby, you do know it. You do know it. You just didn't want to sing with me. That's one of my favorite songs. That's a hard question. There's so many good songs in musicals. I agree. Anything from dream girls. If you're talking dream girls, Jimmy early in particular. And today, for some reason I was feeling Jimmy got sold. Jimmy got got Jimmy got so ridiculous. Eddie Murphy should have gotten an Oscar for that film. He played down played and Eddie Murphy has been in a lot of iconic and yes, incredible roles and I don't feel like that one gets spoken about it does not Jimmy early was an Oscar winning performance. Yeah, for sure. I agree. What's your favorite musical? Oh, funnily enough. Oh, but also Jesus Christ Superstar. Hairspray is not even my favorite musical but that was the first one that came to my head West Side Story is actually my favorite music. I was a jet. Really? I was Anita when I played. I know that's right. I wasn't Maria because the the full set. Oh, it's crazy. It's too much. But maybe some acting some more acting some more. I would like to venture in more into it. Yes. Yes. Okay, let me find out. What does it mean if someone says they are chuffed? Oh, it means like that's happy. You didn't know that one. So you just tried to copy I think I said it faster than I think I said I'm pretty sure I said run and take back. Oh, it means like that. Oh, that was good. See what I'm saying? One, two, three, four, five. You gotta catch up. What film celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025 that starred Whitney Houston? Way to do so. Damn, I was gonna say the bodyguard. How old is the bodyguard? I think it's older. Ah, that was definitely a six. Okay. Okay. We'll get four. One, two, three, four. Okay, we got a mic check moment. Okay. All right. Let's see. Let's see. Sing the song you want played at your wedding. Oh, okay. Um, how does it go? It was like, betcha by golly, wow. You're the one that I've been waiting for forever. That's a nice one. And then I'll win my love for you, and then I'll win my love for you, and then I'll win my love for you, and then I'll win my love for you, and then I'll win my love for you, and then I'll win my love for you, and then I'll win my love for you, and then I'll win my love for you. Keep growing strong. Keep growing strong. Come on, tone. Betcha by golly. Okay. It's such a pretty song. It is a pretty song. I don't know the words like that. Otherwise, I would have joined in with you. What's a song that you feel like is the quintessential wedding song? Oh, I think there are a lot of them. Would you have your own song sung at your wedding? No. No. Somebody asked me that before, like, would you perform at your wedding? I was like, I'm off. This is, this is, this is my day. I'm not working here. He's like, I don't know. I don't know. Hey, I'm not working here. He's like, I know somebody who can come sing. I feel like, that's a hard, that's a hard question. Cause also like you got Etta James and they're like, Etta James. It depends on what vibe you're going for. Do you mean a song like to walk down the aisle to, or do you mean just like a first dance song? Like, I feel like it depends on where, where are we, where in the wedding are we? Yeah. You tell me. I don't know if I'm walking down the aisle, I bet you by golly, wow. Yeah. Well, I would hope not. But completely up to you. It's your day. But maybe. It's your day. I remember at my, one of my best friend's wedding, her and her husband's first dance was to Fantasia when I see you. And like, I don't think that is what people would think, but. But baby. That's that lived with me forever. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I guess I wouldn't be able to do that cause I would be totally copying her, but that was actually a really great addition to the wedding, I would say. Yes. The energy. Yes. Unmatched. Mm-hmm. Thank you so much. Fantasia. Fantasia. Yes. See these pants. Sorry. It was, it was like a nervous tick. It was like a tick. I had to get it out. Okay, go ahead. Hit. Finish the saying, the math ain't- Mathin'. That was kind of a tie. You just said it louder than me. So you're giving it to me? No, no, no, no, no. That's not what we're doing. Sounds like you said- I'm gonna give you another one. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. What is Rihanna's real name? Robyn. Rihanna Fenty. Fenty. Okay. We said it at the same time. You didn't say Robyn. Yes, I did. No, you just said Fenty. I communicated it. Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Okay. You can't be like- I rolled. I rolled. Exactly. Okay, I'll roll again. I'll roll again. Yeah, yeah, yeah. From up here. Yeah. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Ow. Thank you. Ow. Okay. Okay, I have to pick one up, right? Because I passed the music time. Yep. Sing a song you wish was yours. Oh, oh. It could be old. It could be new. Retouch. "Reaching for the blank page before you open up the dirty window. Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh-duh." Oh, maybe this there. "Reaching for something in the distance. So close you can almost taste it." This is where I should have come. "Really sure inhibitions." "Liberate on your skin." Wow. "No one else can feel it for you. Only you can play it in the touch of Bedingfield." Such a good song. Such a good song. "The rest is still unwritten." Eh. I like all Natasha Benefield songs, though. "Pocket Full of Sunshine," "Eye Bruise Easily." Okay. Her catalog is a little bit overlooked, I will say. I agree. Yes. "What do Londoners call their subway?" The Loop. "Underground." The Tube. The Tube. The Tube is what I meant. I said The Loop. The Loop is the toilet. No, I said The Loop. The Loop. The Loop. I was thinking The Circle. The Tube. The Tube. on a Tuesday with some tuna. - Okay, I guess you get to roll again. - Is that a proper roll? Tuna's horrid. - Yeah, yeah. - Wow, wow, wow, wow. - Okay, get your head in the game, Scott. - Oh, Lord. - Finish the lyric. You make me wanna-- - Shout. - You make me wanna leave the one I went, and start a new relationship with you. - Yeah! - Don't know you make me wanna shout. Put my hands up, shout. - Song. - Come on now. - Is it the wrong answer now? - Don't forget to say it wasn't. - You didn't give us a genre. Well, I'll give it to Scott. He's losing anyway, it's fine. - Ah! I would take it too, shit. - Lord, was that a five or was it a one? - I think it's a five. - I'll give you a five. - I think it looks like a five. - Okay. - Looks like a five to me. - One, two, all right, here we go. Ah, sing a gospel song you grew up with. - Mm-hmm. ♪ Melodies from heaven ♪ ♪ Rain down on me ♪ ♪ Rain down, rain down on me ♪ ♪ Rain down ♪ ♪ Melodies from heaven ♪ - Is that how you used to sing it in church? ♪ Rain down on me ♪ ♪ Yeah ♪ ♪ Take me in your precious Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Rain down on me ♪ - Oh, I was gonna say she's gonna do the rain down. ♪ Rain ♪ ♪ Rain ♪ ♪ Rain ♪ ♪ Rain ♪ - Oh, I was supposed to go down. - Come on now, come on now. ♪ Rain down on me ♪ ♪ Let it fall on me ♪ - I don't know why you have to make that face when you get that low. - That's why I said, is that how you sung it in church? - I probably shouldn't do that part though. I mean, Kirk Franklin. - Love, love. - Chewing his strawberry. - Oh yeah, I had to like, I had a whole piece of it. Kirk Franklin, honestly, is one of my favorite people that I've ever met. - What was it like to work with him? - Incredible, I actually was speaking about this experience yesterday in rehearsal, 'cause we were doing my song "How," which his choir is on the start of, so it transitions into the song on my sophomore album. And I had to go to Dallas for the day, 'cause I wanted to be there, like while they were doing it. - Yeah. - And he's just like a ball of energy. Like everything that you see Kirk Franklin is, he really, really is. But he's just so lovely and he is so dedicated to his craft, like loves what he does. - So good at it. - Yeah, like so good. Like I genuinely, I went in there and they had an idea of what I wanted, but I was like, I don't want to give any suggestions, I just want you guys to do what you guys do and see what we come up with. I didn't have any notes. I was like, you guys killed it. Yeah, so we went for this album. I have the same choir on my, the very last song on my album, "No Angels," which is Kirk Franklin's choir also. 'Cause I was just like, I can't go anywhere else. Like where else would I go? - Exactly. What other choir are you gonna pick? - Yeah, love him. - You know, the Chosen's Choir from Edinburgh? - No. - Exactly, sorry. - We're gonna go to Dallas and we're gonna choose Kirk Franklin's choir. - Sorry Edinburgh. - I don't even know if they've got a Chosen's Choir, but if you do, too bad. - What special building opened this Juneteenth in Chicago? - The Obama Center in Chicago. - Oh, I did know that. We need to take that out, 'cause now people are gonna revoke my black college. - No, no, no, no, no, they can't. - I mean, yeah, they can't. - I mean, they can't. You got one, but I got that right. - Isn't it? - What the fuck? - I mean, Obama definitely does deserve-- - More than one. - More than one, yeah. - Don't you think? - Well, I mean, he does, yes, but you can definitely have your one. - Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. Okay, I see how this is gonna go. - Translate this phrase, "I was proper gutted." - I'm so, I was hurt. I was so drunk. - I was really disappointed. - I was so sad. I said hurt. - Good try, good try, good try. You were close. Okay, three, oh, I'm almost there. One, two, three. Sing your favorite Destiny's Child song. My favorite, that's too hard to pick, but if I had to pick one, I guess, ooh, if I had to pick one. - I know. You've got like four in your mind right now. You're like, I have to-- - Like, every single one. - Like, what am I gonna do? - If I had to pick one, I guess I would say. - Not me being like, "What's she gonna say?" - I feel like it depends on the day, so I guess I'll just pick what's coming to my head today. - Okay. - Which is "Temptation" for some unknown reason. - Really? - But I know you see me watching you when I see you watching me. But boy, your body's coming to me. ♪ She's calling the temptation that's killing me ♪ Yeah. - That's a good song. - But I would usually pick something from "Destiny's Fulfilled," so I don't know why "Temptation" was in my mind. - That's like a deep cut. - 'Cause that's "Brighton's on the Wall," yeah. But the deep cuts are my favorite. - I'm not mad. - The deep cuts are my favorite. - So good. it's so good a deep cut it wasn't a single it wasn't yeah but i feel like it kind of like it rose to the occasion it lived as a single almost kind of it's so good if i had to pick one from destiny's fulfilled maybe love i went right to nasty girl he's a nasty trash that's that's not from i know but i just it was in my spirit nasty put some clothes on i told you remember that and then because i said i'm not ever wearing clothes again and i also i'm like when i listen to writings on the wall because they were really young even temptation for for example i think about the song i'm like it was 16 singing this song i know you see me but i guess we all were like what we were just talking about like you listen to songs they used to listen to when you were a child like i probably shouldn't have been listening to that all of jose jodeci i was at the concert every single song in the catalog it was jodeci salt and pepper in vogue that's a good concert it was fantastic i should not have been there with a malcolm x hat on and a running suit i mean but you were there there lived it front and center finish the saying if it ain't one thing it's another okay sorry that's okay this is a pity roll oh that's pretty good damn now you're a little bit too close okay okay okay okay what talk show host is known to host multiple celebrities on a couch at the same time greg norton graham norton oh of course i was thinking of american oh of course sorry i like graham norton show actually it's just getting too close oh what i that's not my turn i gotta roll it first well you already picked it up you might as well we've seen it how do you feel really terrible how do you feel one two three four five you know why i'm sick because when the dice fell on the floor you had a one it wasn't a five get out of here i lost both the games and i came in here telling you how competitive i was hey you gotta listen to this lullaby sing a lullaby you remember i cannot believe this this is a tragedy this is actually this has never happened on this show before you've never won not like this hold on hold on a second we have to redo this i am the first loser on this show but you win in that regard you're the first loser on the show that's not something that i want to win it's okay like i did with x-factor i'll take my l basically do you remember oh brother where art thou no uh johnson did this movie in the early 2000s it was like um the sirens it's like the story of the odyssey kind of there's these sirens in the river and they're singing go to sleep you little baby go to sleep you little baby you and me and the devil makes three don't need no other loving baby that's a lullaby yeah you me and the devil makes three yeah somebody gotta go to sleep okay you want to meet the devil take your ass to bed then i'm staying awake take your ass to bed i'm not going to sleep but i've never gotten that song out of my mind and i've always been like you know not thinking about it because i wanted to sing it to a baby maybe that's why they don't ever go to sleep yeah i don't think you should sing that song to a baby i want to see the rest of the cars can i look at the rest of the cars yeah i mean i lost so it's the least you can do for me sing a song that every british person knows was singing this because it's like in football sweet caroline or wonderwall wonderwall is also a song that every british person wants a wonderwall by oasis you're my wonder no i've never heard something like that well congratulations on being the first loser thank you you're amazing thank you so much this has been so much fun this has been so fun you were the bomb all day listen any time thank you all the time thank you and when you come back from tour my chips and guac hello my tacos my drink boom baby cheers love ya hey neighbor our house guest is on the way the way the way the way a little bit of laughter a lot of smiles won't you come in and stay a while hey neighbor hey neighbor