Jhené Aiko is setting the record straight.
Earlier today, the singer released her new single “Triggered (freestyle)” on which she addresses a former boyfriend. “You motherfu**in’ right I’m bitter,” she sings on the emotionally-charged track. “You motherfu**in’ right I’m triggered.”
A scorned Jhené calls her man out (“Trying my hardest not to disrespect you / After what you did, man, what you expected? / You motherfu**er”) before begging him to return. “Fall back eventually / Please call me back eventually / Fall back into me,” she sings.
After fans started speculating that the song was about her ex Big Sean, Jhené took to Twitter to address the rumors. “‘triggered’ was a moment. a moment that for me has passed,” she explained. “it is new to you because ur just now hearing it, but for me… it’s something i moved on from the moment i expressed it.”
She also shot down reports that the track is a “diss” aimed at the Detroit rapper. “triggered is NOT a diss song. it is a moment of talking shit out of frustration and passion,” she added. “it’s was a moment of exaggerated expression when I was feeling lost and weak. no one is to be blamed or bashed for how I was feeling in that moment. I am in control of my feelings.”
The song is her form of self-expression and helped her relieve stress. “this is how I paint,” she tweeted. “this is me yelling and throwing paint at a canvas… then going out into the world feeling less tension, more open… more loving. going to bed feeling less stressed, more optimistic.”
While she has moved on, Jhené still has love for her ex. Just last month, she penned a heartfelt note to him on Instagram, which referenced lyrics from “Triggered.”
“you are so special. to me. to the world,” she wrote in response to an Instagram video of Sean performing a Nipsey Hussle tribute. “while we’re both still on this planet I just to say… i love you beyond measure. even tho i get big mad and u trigger the f**k out of me. u make me feel. and i appreciate that. because i thought i was dead inside.”
She also revealed that her upcoming album will feature freestyles inspired by her “past, present and future” relationships. “I know you all love the drama and would like to think everything i do or say is about him,” she told fans, “but i’ve been through plenty of other things and situations that i pull inspiration from when i sit down to create a song.”