By Scott T. Sterling
Much like her music, Jhené Aiko in conversation is languid yet engaging. A welcome relief from the pomp and circumstance of most modern pop culture. Aiko takes her time when answering questions, slowly and deliberately measuring her words as she’s speaking them. It’s no wonder that the singer has taken to waving sticks of burning incense onstage during shows.
“It’s been getting pretty emotional,” she tells Radio.com when asked about fan encounters since the release of her long-awaited debut album, Souled Out. “When people connect to the songs, they are really connecting. These aren’t just random words that I’m writing, these are actual experiences, so it means a lot…Hearing people say ‘that song was really helping me to stay positive,’ it just means a lot to have them share that with me. It means they’re not just connecting with the music, we’re connecting with each other.”
Crafted with a cadre of producers including frequent Kid Cudi collaborator Dot Da Genius and longtime Chicago hit-maker No I.D., the album’s second track, “W.A.Y.S.“—an acronym for “Why Aren’t You Smiling?” that’s dedicated to her late brother, Miyagi, who succumbed to cancer in 2012—features production from renowned beat-maker Clams Casino with an assist from Flying Lotus-affiliate, Thundercat.
Part of what propelled Aiko into prominence was high profile collaborations with fellow artists including Drake, who brought her out to perform his song “From Time” on Saturday Night Live when he hosted back in January, and Childish Gambino, who, along with Drake, made a cameo during Aiko’s set at Coachella for their song “Bed Peace” off her 2013 EP, Sail Out.
Aiko thinks her and Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) work so well together because they both have “different creative minds, but they complement each other.”
“We think of things differently,” she says. “Even our whole thought process about regular things are so different, but they’re so complementary to one another. So when it comes to working together, it just works.”
While Souled Out came relatively free of superstar cameos—Chicago rapper Common is featured on album bonus track, “Pretty Bird (Freestyle)“)—Aiko did take the time to make a guest appearance on Chris Brown‘s latest album, X, with the track “Drunk Texting.” Though, she almost passed it up due to a busy schedule.
“His manager contacted me and was just like, ‘We have a song that we think you’ll be good on.’ I was super busy. I didn’t really have a day to record a song, but I was like, ‘Send it,’ because if I really like it I’m going to want to do it,” Aiko explains. “As soon as I heard it, I was like, ‘Yes.’ This is so relatable, so catchy, and I just felt like it would be really fun to do.”
Aiko laughs when asked about her own forays into drunk texting. “I try not to, but I definitely always fail and I always end up drunk texting,” she says. “So I’m sure I have lots of funny stories. We’ll talk about them later.”
Watch our exclusive video interview with Jhené Aiko above to see her talk about being a part of the Def Jam legacy, her prowess in the kitchen and why she thinks she’d make a good stand-up comedian.
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