On December 16, 2011, Aiko signed a recording contract with American record producer No I.D.'s record label Artium, distributed through Def Jam Recordings. She has been described as having gentle and pop-tinged vocals. [Tyler Antonius]
Jhené Aiko was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Christina Yamamoto and Dr. Karamo Chilombo (birth name Greg Barnes), a pediatrician. She is of mixed race background—her mother is of Japanese, Spanish, and Dominican descent, while her father is of African American, Yaqui, Choctaw, Cherokee, Navajo, and German Jewish descent. She often states her ethnicity as "Japanese, African American, Native American, etc." based on percentages but identifies with all parts of her heritage. Aiko has also stated that she has French ancestry and has stated regarding her ancestry, "I’m a quarter Japanese. That’s the only percentage I know for sure because it’s my grandfather's. And then everyone else is pretty much like mixed." Her older sisters Miyoko and Jamila were in the R&B group Gyrl and toured with Immature, who were signed to MCA/Silas Records. This led to Jhené’s first meeting with producer Chris Stokes when she was five years old, and eventually he heard her sing. When B2K signed with Epic Records, Jhené was signed as well. She served as the opening act for B2K on their Scream Tour 3.
Aiko began her musical career contributing vocals to several B2K releases in 2002. She featured on tracks five through eight of the R&B group's remix album B2K: The Remixes - Volume 1. "Santa Baby", a cover she recorded, was also featured on their album Santa Hooked Me Up and she appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "Tease" from Pandemonium!. Her song "Dog" appeared as a bonus track.
Aiko also appeared in numerous music videos including O'Ryan's debut video, "Take It Slow", B2K's debut video "Uh Huh" and "Why I Love You", P.Y.T.'s "Same Ol' Same Ol' (Remix)" featuring Sarai, Play's "M.A.S.T.E.R. (Part 2)" featuring Lil' Fizz video and Morgan Smith's 2004 video "Blow Ya Whistle". Jhené also has songs featured on the soundtracks of Barbershop, The Master of Disguise, You Got Served, The Proud Family, and Byou. She released a video for her single "NO L.O.V.E" (re-recorded from Tha' Rayne version in 2002) which debuted on BET's 106 & Park when she was 15 years old.
Aiko was set to release her debut album, then-titled My Name Is Jhené, however the album was never released due to tension at the record label Epic, which ultimately led to Aiko asking to be released from the label. She then began to focus on school and continue her education.
In 2007, she made a return to music, in an interview she spoke on the choice saying “Shortly before I conceived my daughter, I stepped back into the field and took a meeting with a label head. In this meeting, I was innocently told, to ‘sell’ myself when walking into these meetings. “That’s when I decided I would ‘sail’ myself rather than sell myself.” Aiko released a mixtape on March 16, 2011 entitled Sailing Soul(s) via her official website, JheneAiko.com. All the songs on the mixtape were written by her, except “July” which was written by Micah Powell and most of the songs were produced by Fisticuffs, except “July” and “You vs Them” which were produced by Bei Maejor, “Real Now” which was produced by Roosevelt, “Do Better” which was produced by J. Lbs and “Growing Apart” which was produced by Tae Beast. The album's artwork was shot by photographer Jay 3. The mixtape also features collaborations from Miguel, Drake, and Kanye West, as well as others.
To promote the mixtape Aiko was joined by Grammy-nominated R&B singer Miguel on a one-off free secret tour on Sunday, July 15. The free tickets were given away at the Key Club box office on July 6 from 11AM-5PM on a first-come, first-served basis. The concert started at 7:00pm and finished as 9:30pm, lasting a duration of two and a half hours. On October 21, 2012 Aiko released a music video for the song "My Mine". Aiko also released a video for the mixtapes second track "Stranger". Datpiff certified the mixtape gold with downloads of 100,000. In 2011, she also began working closely with artists from Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment such as Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul.
In 2012, Aiko met with No I.D., record producer and vice president of A&R at Def Jam, who ended up signing Aiko to his Artium Records imprint through Def Jam. Aiko released the track "3:16AM" which was made available for digital download on iTunes September 4, 2012. The song was released as the first single from Sail Out. In 2012, Aiko was also the opening act on the highly anticipated “Life Is Good/Black Rage” concert tour headlined by fellow American artists, rapper Nas and singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill. In June 2013, Aiko was featured on the Big Sean song "Beware", which ended up reaching the Top 40 in the United States. This was her first song to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. In October 2013, it was revealed Jhené Aiko would open for Canadian rapper Drake on his Would You like a Tour? concert tour. She had previously collaborated with Drake on his third album Nothing Was the Same (2013), lending her vocals on the tracks "Wu-Tang Forever" and "From Time".
Aiko then released her debut EP Sail Out, on November 12, 2013. "Bed Peace" featuring Childish Gambino was released as the album's second single on September 17, 2013. The single's artwork was inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-Ins for Peace protest against the Vietnam War. The EP features guest appearances from American rappers Vince Staples, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul. The EP debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 34,000 copies. On January 14, 2014, "The Worst" was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States as the album's third single. On May 2, 2014 "The Worst" rose from three to one on the airplay Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, in doing so she became the first female artist to top the chart as a lead with a debut single since Jazmine Sullivan reached the same feat with "Need U Bad" in 2008. "The Worst" also rose forty seven to forty three on the Hot 100. The song peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 at forty-three, becoming Aiko's first solo release to chart in the region, the song also peaked at number eleven on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
On January 18, 2014, Aiko appeared on Saturday Night Live performing the song "From Time", with the episode's guest host, Drake. In a January 2014 interview with Vibe, Aiko announced her debut studio album Souled Out would be released in May 2014. However the album would be delayed. On March 16, 2014, Aiko premiered a song titled "My Afternoon Dream," along with an accompanying music video directed by Aiko and Krissy. It has yet to be revealed if the song, produced by Key Wane, will feature on the album.
On June 23, 2014, Aiko posted the cover art and a snippet of Souled Out's first single, titled "To Love & Die", on her official Instagram page. The single's artwork was described as "space-y" by Adelle Platon of Vibe magazine. The song was released for digital download on iTunes, the following day. On June 26, 2014, Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd, announced he would be headlining the "King of the Fall Tour", essentially a mini-tour across America in September / October 2014, the tour will consist of four shows and start on 19 September 2014 in New York, at the Barclays Center and end on October 10 in San Francisco, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Aiko and frequent collaborator Schoolboy Q, were confirmed as the tour's supporting acts.
Aiko is a Christian, having been baptized when she was 16 at the evangelical Pentecostal Foursquare Church. At the age of 20, Aiko became pregnant by American R&B singer O'Ryan and gave birth to her daughter Namiko on November 19, 2008. Before losing her brother Miyagi to cancer on July 19, 2012, Aiko recorded "For My Brother" on her laptop, which was initially intended only for her brother's ears. He died soon after hearing the record. On August 27, 2013, Aiko was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles along with her daughter Namiko, older sister Miyoko, and her daughter's father O'Ryan. Aiko suffered a broken wrist, chipped tooth and had stitches in her chin. Her daughter, however, was unharmed in the accident.
Everything Must Go
Jhené Aiko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind and
We are all slaves of desire
Controlled by the things we
Think that we need
No, not trying to preach to the choir
Cause I’m just a girl born
Unto this world but i am no god or messiah
Everything must go
Like everything you know, forget about it
Everything must go
Like everything you think you know
After the fire
We each have one sweatsuit and
One pair of shoes no, nothing designer
But smile anyway cause my mama said
That happiness comes from within so
What you create for you
No one can take from you
Your energy and your soul
Is all that goes, wherever we go
Everything else don’t
Like everything you own, forget about it
Everything must go
Like everything you think you know
Everything must go
Like everything you know, forget about it
Everything must go
Like everything you think you know
Can’t take it with you when we go
Tell everybody that you know
That everything yeah, everything must go
Everything must go like everything you know
Everything must go
Like everything, like everything you know
Everything must go
Tell everybody that you know
The lyrics to Jhené Aiko's song "Everything Must Go" convey a message about the impermanence of material possessions and the fleeting nature of worldly desires. The opening lines state that fighting fire with fire is not a solution, as seeking revenge or acting out of anger only leads to more harm and blinds everyone involved. Aiko emphasizes that we are all slaves to our desires, constantly seeking things that we believe to be essential for our happiness.
However, she goes on to state that she is not preaching to those who already acknowledge this truth, recognizing her own limitations as a mere mortal. Aiko believes that everything must go, including all that we know and think we need. She suggests that after a metaphorical fire - a transformative experience or a moment of realization - we are left with the bare minimum: one sweatsuit and one pair of shoes, devoid of any materialistic attachments.
Despite the lack of designer labels or excess possessions, Aiko encourages listeners to smile anyway, quoting her mother's wisdom that true happiness comes from within. She emphasizes that the only things that truly matter are the energy and soul we possess, which cannot be taken from us. Therefore, she urges us to let go of everything else, including our attachments to material possessions and our preconceived notions of what we think we know.
In the final repetition of the chorus, Aiko reminds us that we can't take anything with us when we go, and she urges listeners to spread the message that everything must go. This can be seen as a call to let go of attachments, to prioritize what truly matters, and to embrace the impermanence of life.
Line by Line Meaning
You cannot fight fire with fire
Responding to negativity with more negativity will not solve anything
An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind and
Seeking revenge only harms everyone involved
We are all slaves of desire
We are all controlled and driven by our desires
Controlled by the things we
Our actions and decisions are influenced by the material possessions we crave
Think that we need
Believing that we require certain things to be happy or fulfilled
No, not trying to preach to the choir
Not attempting to persuade those who already agree or understand
Cause I’m just a girl born
Acknowledging her humble existence and limited perspective as an individual
Unto this world but i am no god or messiah
Recognizing that she is not a divine figure with all the answers
But here’s what I know
However, she does have some understanding to share
Everything must go
Let go of everything you think you know or possess
Like everything you know, forget about it
Release all attachments to your current knowledge and beliefs
After the fire
In the aftermath of a destructive event
We each have one sweatsuit and
We are stripped down to the bare minimum, possessing only one comfortable outfit
One pair of shoes no, nothing designer
We do not have any luxury or high-end items
But smile anyway cause my mama said
Despite the lack of material possessions, find joy because her mother taught her
That happiness comes from within so
True happiness originates from one's inner self
What you create for you
The life you build for yourself
No one can take from you
No one has the power to steal or diminish it
Your energy and your soul
The essence of your being
Is all that goes, wherever we go
It is the only thing that accompanies us wherever we may journey
Everything else don’t
All other material possessions and external attachments
Like everything you own, forget about it
Release any attachment to material possessions you may have
Can’t take it with you when we go
You cannot bring any material possessions when you pass away
Tell everybody that you know
Spread this message to everyone you are acquainted with
That everything yeah, everything must go
Emphasizing that everything, including beliefs and attachments, must be released
Everything must go like everything you know
Let go of everything you think you know or understand
Like everything, like everything you know
Similar to the previous line, release all attachments to your current knowledge
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JHENE AIKO CHILOMBO, ERNEST DION WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@foreverPriscilla
why was this impossible to find
@shania4792
My dad did this beat so proud of my daddy love u lots @frobackmusik
@FrobacTV
+Niyaah Xox love you too baby xx
@airgoddess3669
Shes talking bout the afterlife and so much more in this song its a very strong message!!
@Prettiboimico
all her records have powerful messages
@deirdreevans356
I like this song reminds me of a true musical sound.
@lovehealsforever
Everything must go, like everything you think you know truth
@mjpink8408
In love with this song!! Jhene is QUEEN!!
@teresawilliams6621
love love love 😍😍😍 play it almost every day
@aliyahrawmodel2732
2019 ❤️