Jhené Aiko Says New Project Is 'Way More Than Music'
Over two years after dropping her debut album Souled Out, Jhené Aiko is ready to embark on the next chapter in her career.
“For my upcoming projects, I am just all about showing all the layers,” she told Billboard on Sunday (Feb. 12). “I wouldn’t say that it’s going to stick to one specific sound. You’re just going to get a lot more of me.
“I would say that [the next project] is way more than music and way more than anything I’ve ever done before,” she added. “I’ve been working on it for a few years now, since I put out my mixtape, so I think people will just appreciate all of the effort, work, and time that I put into it. I really like to take my time and make sure that it’s a true representation of me and what I’ve been through. It’s way more than music. It’s like an art project that I’ve been working on that I can’t wait to share.”
“Maniac” was one of the first signs of new music from Jhené, who says it won’t be the only side of her displayed on upcoming material. “‘Maniac’ is something that I put out just because I knew a lot of people were waiting for some new music from me,” she explained. “As I get older, I’m expressing all the sides of me. Next month, I’ll be 29 years old and I just feel more comfortable digging deeper into who I am and expressing every single side of me. ‘Maniac’ is a side of me that I haven’t shown often.”
Up next, Jhené will be performing a Valentine’s Day special for REVOLT on Tuesday (Feb. 14). “I had this idea of literally taking my living room furniture to the stage, having my friends on stage, having house guests arrive and perform with me,” she said. “Valentine’s Day seemed like that would be the perfect chill, sexy environment…I thought it would be cool too, to have my outfit match the vibes.”
Aside from her solo material, Jhené is also prepping the sequel to last year’s TWENTY88 joint project with her beau Big Sean. Don is currently sitting on top of the Billboard 200 with I Decided., which features a guest spot from Aiko.