
Jhené Aiko
How Jhené Aiko's 'CHILOMBO' Shows Her Most Authentic Self & Is Helping Heal The World | Up Close & Personal
Timing is everything. Jhené Aiko's CHILOMBO is a testament to that. For the 32-year-old R&B singer/songwriter whose career has only grown stronger since she began songwriting for former R&B group B2K in the 2000s, a lot of things have come together for her on her latest album. For one, her third album, the follow-up to 2017's Trip, is the one in which she has come to accept all of herself, even the parts of her that at one point she wasn't so keen on.
"I'm 32 now. I've lived, I've learned. And I think that's all just reflected in the music," Aiko says in the latest Up Close & Personal.
In CHILOMBO, recently released with more tracks as CHILOMBO (Deluxe), Aiko also incorporates sound healing for the first time since she began exploring it at the age of 19. Every track is infused with crystal alchemy singing bowls, which have been found to mentally and physically help heal.
"At some point, I realized that a part of my purpose is to help people get through things," she shares. "Now that I'm studying sound healing and know the importance of sound, I just feel like it's my responsibility as a musician to really take care of the sounds that I put into the music."
While promoting healing, Aiko also delivers some of her most sensual songs to date, including "On The Way" featuring her first-ever collaboration with her sister Mila J.
"There were a few times where it almost happened but then timing or something wouldn't line up, and I don't know, I think [this time] it was just perfect timing," she says about the collab. "Even though it took a long time, it took the time it was supposed to take for us to come together because we probably couldn't have made that type of song when I was younger."
Watch the video above to learn more about the meaning behind CHILOMBO.