Whatchamacallit (Ella Mai song)

Prior to the making of the song, Ella Mai mentioned Chris Brown as one of her biggest influences: “Vocally, he’s amazing,” she said. “If he didn’t come out the way he did and make the music that he did, I think I would be a completely different artist. He’s influenced an entire generation.”^[2] The two then collaborated on "This X-Mas", a track contained in the "Cuffing Season: 12 Days of Christmas" edition of Brown's eighth studio album Heartbreak on a Full Moon (2017).^[3] “Whatchamacallit” was originally teased in September 2017, before being released on October 4, 2018 through Interscope Records as a promotional single from Mai's self-titled debut album.^[4]

"Whatchamacallit" is an R&B song^[5] written by Brown, Sam Hook, Jordan Holt and Mai, while its production was handled by Mustard. On the track the two artists serenade about a secret relationship.^[6][7]

HotNewHipHop praised the song, writing: "Because of the similarity in their voices, Ella Mai and Chris Brown sound absolutely gorgeous together. When one harmonizes with the other, it's almost as if it's just a double of the original vocal, introducing an interesting dynamic to the song that we rarely hear with other artists".^[1] The Guardian mentioned Chris Brown as an "A-list feature" on the track.^[8]