A poetic songwriter with a lyrical voice, Ego Ella May -- like Erykah Badu and Amel Larrieux before her -- specializes in progressive, soul-rooted R&B that is both understated and highly expressive. Active since the early 2010s, the South London native hit her stride the late 2010s with the compilation So Far (2019), her first full-length, and Honey for Wounds (2020), a set bolstered by collaborations with Theo Croker, Wu-Lu, and Alfa Mist. May has since released two Fieldnotes EPs (2021-2022), the second of which deviated from her previous material by reflecting on interpersonal romantic dynamics.

May self-released her digital debut EP, The Tree, in 2013. Spaced-out and sparse yet stimulating, it was reminiscent of narcotic alternative R&B albums such as Spacek's Curvatia and Kissey Asplund's Plethora. Her second and third EPs, Breathing Underwater and Zero, followed in 2014 and 2015. All three EPs were taken out of circulation, but material from each one -- highlights such as "How Far," "Tea & Sympathy," and the Kojey Radical collaboration "Come On" -- appeared on So Far, May's 2019 debut release for the Tru Thoughts label. May then worked not only with Croker, Wu-Lu, and Alfa Mist, but also the likes of Joe-Armon Jones, Oscar Jerome, and Andrew Ashong, in making her 2020 album Honey for Wounds. Next came two EPs. The first Fieldnotes EP was written as May processed multiple COVID-19 lockdowns, was recorded with Geo Jordan, Flwr Chyld, and previous collaborator Eun, and arrived in 2021. Led by the clever "Introvert Hotline," the comparatively restful Fieldnotes, Pt II followed the next year. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi