As I got older, I realised that sharing these stories about loss helps people and helps me too. Once I started sharing my poems in class, that’s when I realised that it helps other people to relate and it made me feel like I’m not going through this alone. It was my way of expressing it and getting it out so that it wouldn’t be bothering me so much on the inside. For me, I started writing poetry, or even journaling about it, when I was in elementary, and then I eventually started writing poetry. Most of my memories I’ve been dealing with loss. When it comes to grief and loss, I feel like it’s something that I’ve dealt with since I can remember. I’ve always been more of an introverted person, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ll speak my mind to whoever will listen. It’s really the only reason why I make music. Your album Trip is inspired by loss and hardship, would you say music helps you process grief? I would tell myself to be patient and to have faith that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. Thinking back to a time before you had decided to pursue music as a profession, what key piece of advice would you give to yourself? What was the first album you ever bought? I don’t really know which one came first! There was an artist named Sammy, he was an R&B singer, and then I bought Celebrity by NSYNC and then I bought Invisible by Michael Jackson.
![jhené aiko jhené aiko](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/wh-index-2000x1000-bodylanguage-bigseanjhene-1607618848.jpg)
The first album I bought with my own money was … there were a few. Now, we’re here and life is only getting crazier. At that time, around 20, 21, I had been through so much that I already had all these things to sing about. When I was younger, I didn’t really have the chance to express myself, as I was just singing other people’s songs and singing their stories. I decided I wanted to focus on music, writing my own music and really being my own artist. When I was 20, I got pregnant with my daughter and I had to decide if I wanted to continue having a regular job or if I wanted to continue to do music and really focus on it. I did a talent show in the second grade and everyone told me how well I did – from then on I felt like I was good at it. All throughout my life my sisters were in singing groups and my mum was managing them – I was always with her when they were shooting and taking them to shows … and that was really when I decided that it was something that I wanted to do. He instilled that musical interest in us when we were very young. So, he converted our garage into a studio. I am the youngest of five and growing up my dad always had an interest in being a musician – he played the guitar and wrote songs. With a newfound desire to reconnect with the real world, Aiko’s direction for 2019 is an inspiring one that is focused on the content rather than the figures, the love rather than the likes and how far she has come rather than how far she has yet to go … And when Glass spoke with her, this consideration of other’s wellbeing was as prevalent as ever. Trip is her most honest work yet, says Aiko, detailing its purpose as a guide for those suffering physical, emotional, or mental strain. Described as the female Frank Ocean, Aiko sings with a delicate, fluttery voice and her music floats between futuristic RnB, dark alt-pop, and neo-soul – with psychedelic references woven in throughout. Last year, Aiko released her second studio album Trip, which debuted at number five on the US Billboard 2000 chart, simultaneously becoming her fourth consecutive top ten debut on the chart. This success was boosted by her Grammy-nominated #1 platinum cross-over hit The Worst. Her 2014 album Souled Out received critical acclaim and became the biggest-selling EP in Def Jam history. Since then, Aiko has grown from strength to strength to bloom into one of R&B’s most well-respected singers. Collaborating with Drake, Childish Gambino and Big Sean put Aiko on the map and her 2013 comeback mixtape, Sailing Souls, garnered two Grammy nominations. Leaving her contract in 2003 to focus on studying, her return was not made until 2011, when the birth of her daughter Namiko encouraged her to reconsider music. JHENÉ Aiko Efuru Chilombo, born and raised in Los Angeles, made her musical debut in the early 2000s when she signed to Epic and contributed vocals to label mates B2K. Glass speaks with Jhené Aiko, the successful R&B singer combining music, art and writing to heal scars