Jhené Aiko

Jhené Aiko is the daughter of Christina Yamamoto and pediatrician Karamo Chilombo. Her older sister is R&B singer Mila J, and her brother Miyagi died of brain cancer on July 19, 2012. Shortly before his death, Miyagi heard Aiko's song "For My Brother," which she had recorded on her laptop for him.

Aiko dated R&B singer O'Ryan from 2005 to 2008, and their daughter, Namiko Love Browner, was born on November 19, 2008, when Aiko was 20. Aiko was married to music producer Oladipo "Dot da Genius" Omishore from 2014 until their divorce was finalized in 2017. She and Big Sean have a son, Noah, who was born on November 8, 2022.

Aiko was baptized at the evangelical Pentecostal Foursquare Church when she was 16. Her family home burned down when she was seven, and her Los Angeles home was destroyed in the 2025 Palisades Fire.

Aiko began her music career in 2002 by contributing vocals to B2K releases and appearing in music videos. She also sang on the soundtrack for The Master of Disguise and appeared as a guest vocalist on B2K's song "Tease" from Pandemonium!. Her early video appearances included O'Ryan's "Take It Slow," B2K's "Uh Huh" and "Why I Love You," and Morgan Smith's "Blow Ya Whistle."

Sony, The Ultimate Group, and Epic Records promoted Aiko as the cousin of B2K member Lil' Fizz, although they are not related. Aiko and Lil' Fizz grew up together and were close like family. Her planned 2003 debut album, My Name Is Jhené, was shelved after tensions at Epic Records, and she left the labels to continue her education.

Aiko returned to music with the mixtape Sailing Soul(s), released through her website on March 16, 2011. She wrote all of its songs except "July" and worked with artists including Miguel, Drake, and Kanye West. She also began working with artists connected to Top Dawg Entertainment, including Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul.

In 2012, producer No I.D. signed Aiko to his ARTium Recordings imprint through Def Jam Recordings. She opened for Nas and Lauryn Hill on the Life Is Good/Black Rage tour and later appeared on Big Sean's 2013 single "Beware," her first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut EP, Sail Out, followed in November 2013 and included "3:16AM," "Bed Peace" featuring Childish Gambino, and "The Worst."

"The Worst" became Aiko's first solo release to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart. In January 2014, she performed "From Time" with Drake on Saturday Night Live. Her debut studio album, Souled Out, was released in September 2014 and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200.

Aiko formed the duo Twenty88 with Big Sean in 2016. Their self-titled collaborative album explored the highs and lows of a relationship and was initially released exclusively for streaming on TIDAL before becoming available for download. Aiko also joined J. Cole's Forest Hills Drive Tour and supported The Weeknd, Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, and Lana Del Rey on concert tours.

Her second studio album, Trip, was released without a prior announcement on September 22, 2017. A 23-minute autobiographical film with the same title, co-directed by Aiko, was released the day before the album. In 2018, she published 2Fish, a poetry book containing poems, songs, and drawings created from age 12 through the book's publication.

Aiko released "Triggered (Freestyle)" in 2019, and her third studio album, Chilombo, followed in March 2020. Chilombo peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and received three Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year. It won the 2021 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album. In 2022, Aiko founded the Allel Sound imprint with Def Jam and signed rapper August 08.

Aiko's music is associated with alternative R&B and also incorporates neo-soul, psychedelic music, classic R&B, and hip hop. Her singing has been described as a soprano voice with a light, high tone, while her lyrics combine themes of sensitivity, love, confusion, and aggression.

Aiko has cited Tupac, Aaliyah, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, Brandy, Beyoncé, India.Arie, Amel Larrieux, and John Mayer as musical influences. She has described her writing process as freestyle-based, often beginning with a melody or a line of poetry and developing a song over a period ranging from a day to a month.