Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo, an American R&B singer-songwriter and rapper hailing from Los Angeles, began her music journey in 2002 as a supporting vocalist for B2K.
Although she was signed to their record label, her first album was put on hold in 2003 to focus on her education.
REAL FACTS ABOUT JHENE AIKO
FULL NAME: Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo
DATE OF BIRTH: March 16, 1988
PLACE OF BIRTH: Los Angeles, California, U.S
NATIONALITY: American
OCCUPATIONs: Rapper, Singer, Songwriter
LABELs : Def Jam, TUG, ARTium, Epic
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo was born in Los Angeles, California on March 16, 1988.
After her family’s house burned down, they relocated to the View Park-Windsor Hills area, where she received homeschooling until high school. Aiko’s parents, Christina Yamamoto and Dr. Karamo Chilombo, are divorced, and she has seven siblings, including the R&B singer Mila J.
Her mother has Spanish, Dominican, and Japanese roots, while her father has Native American, African-American, and German-Jewish ancestry.
Aiko acknowledges her diverse heritage and acknowledges that she doesn’t neatly fit into one specific category.
DNA results have shown that she has 25% Asian, 33% African, and 34% European ancestry.
She emphasizes her shared humanity with others and considers everyone as family, regardless of how they perceive her.
CAREER
Jhené Aiko began her music career in 2002, working on projects with B2K and contributing to soundtracks. However, her first album was not released due to issues with her record label.
In 2007, she made a comeback with a different approach. Aiko released the mixtape Sailing Soul(s) in 2011 and collaborated with Top Dawg Entertainment. She then signed with Def Jam in 2012.
Aiko gained popularity with singles like “3:16AM” and featured on Big Sean’s “Beware”.
Her debut EP Sail Out (2013) debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200, and the single “The Worst” reached number one on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
She performed on Saturday Night Live and announced her debut studio album Souled Out, but its release was delayed.
In June 2014, Aiko released the single “To Love & Die” and supported The Weeknd on his King of the Fall Tour with ScHoolboy Q.
Finally, Jhené Aiko’s debut album Souled Out was released on September 8, 2014, after three years of recording.
The album was both a commercial and critical success, debuting at number three on the US Billboard 200 and selling 70,000 copies in its first week.
It also reached the top of the charts for US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and US R&B Albums.
The album had three successful singles: “The Pressure”, “Wading”, and “Spotless Mind”. Souled Out received critical acclaim and was recognized for its impact on the R&B genre.
A standout lyric from Aiko’s collaboration with Omarion, “Post to Be”, was also highlighted.
In March 2016, Jhené Aiko announced a joint album with Big Sean called Twenty88, which premiered on TIDAL. She then released several singles that were not included on any album, such as “Maniac” and “Hello Ego”.
Aiko surprised fans with her second album, Trip, on September 22, 2017, along with a short film. The lead single, “While We’re Young”, was released in June 2017.
In 2018, Aiko had the opportunity to open for Lana Del Rey on her LA to the Moon Tour.
Her third studio album, Chilombo, was released in March 2020. In 2022, Aiko performed at Super Bowl LVI and launched her own label called Allel Sound in partnership with Def Jam Records. She signed rapper August 8 and featured on their single “Water Sign”.
PERSONAL LIFE
Jhené Aiko has experienced significant milestones in her personal life. At the age of 16, she was baptized, and in 2008, she became a mother to a daughter with her ex-boyfriend O’Ryan.
She wrote a heartfelt song for her brother Miyagi before he passed away in 2012.
Aiko also went through a car accident in 2013. In 2016, she got married to Dot da Genius, but their marriage ended in divorce the following year.
Since 2016, Aiko has been in a relationship with Big Sean, and they recently celebrated the birth of their son, Noah, in 2022.
