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.
Frequency
Jhené Aiko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We are never far
We are never far
We are never
Frequency, frequently
As I release these frequencies, speak to me
Every loaf, I'll listen up, please keep from me
Oh, free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, give me freedom
Bless the generation, give them mercy
Bless the situation, woah
Be with me frequently
Bless my situation, give me love
Bless the situation, let them know
Know that you love her
Know you can love
Oh, free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the generation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that there's love
Never far
We are never far
We are never far
We are never
Frequency, frequently
As I release these frequencies, speak to me
Every loaf, I'll listen up, please keep from me
As I release these frequencies, oh
Free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, give me freedom
Bless the generation, give them mercy
Bless the situation, oh
Be with me frequently
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the situation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that you love, oh
Free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the generation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that they're loved
Never far
We are never far
We are never far
We are never
Free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the generation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that there's love
Lead them from temptation, make them royalty
All the things we're facin' makes us question it
Lead us to salvation, pour that oil please
That's how we become kings and queens
The lyrics of Frequency by Jhené Aiko talk about the power of positive energy and the belief that we are never far from the things we desire. The song starts with the repetition of the phrase "we are never far" indicating that we are always closer to what we want than we think we are. Jhené then talks about the power of frequencies, and how they can speak to us. She asks for blessings for herself and her city, and mentions mercy for the generations to come. She wants to be frequently reminded of the love and freedom that she seeks, and the song ends with a plea to lead us to salvation and make us royalty.
The song seems to be about manifesting your desires by putting out positive energy and frequency into the universe. Jhené believes that frequencies can communicate with us and help us get what we want. She asks for blessings for herself and her community to achieve freedom, love, and mercy. The phrase "free my city, free my seed" indicates that she wants to break free from negative energy that has been holding her back and protect and nurture the next generation. The song ends with a plea to lead us to salvation, which could refer to getting closer to our desires, and becoming kings and queens by overcoming our obstacles and achieving our goals.
Line by Line Meaning
We are never far
We are always close to each other
We are never far
We are always close to each other
We are never far
We are always close to each other
We are never
We are always together
Frequency, frequently
My voice reaches out to you frequently
As I release these frequencies, speak to me
I want you to communicate with me when I speak to you
Every loaf, I'll listen up, please keep from me
I am willing to listen to my lover and I beg of them to be honest with me
As I release these frequencies, oh
As I speak to you, listen to me
Oh, free my city, free my seed
I seek for freedom for myself and loved ones
Bless my situation, give me freedom
May my circumstances change for the better and give me the freedom I deserve
Bless the generation, give them mercy
May future generations be blessed with mercy
Bless the situation, woah
May my situation get better
Be with me frequently
Always be there for me
Bless my situation, give me love
Give me the love and care that I truly deserve
Bless the situation, let them know
Bless others around me and let them know they are cared for
Know that you love her
Understand that you are truly in love with her
Know you can love
Understand that you are capable of loving completely
Oh, free my city, free my seed
I seek for freedom for myself and loved ones
Bless my situation, show me love
May I be shown love and affection
Bless the generation, let them know
Let future generations know that they are loved
Know that you love
Understand that you are truly capable of loving
Know that there's love
Always remember that there is love for you
Never far
We are always close to each other
We are never far
We are always close to each other
We are never far
We are always close to each other
We are never
We are always together
Free my city, free my seed
I seek for freedom for myself and loved ones
Bless my situation, show me love
May I be shown love and affection
Bless the generation, let them know
Let future generations know that they are loved
Know that you love
Understand that you are truly capable of loving
Know that they're loved
Always remember that they are loved
Lead them from temptation, make them royalty
Guide them away from their bad habits, and treat them like kings and queens
All the things we're facin' makes us question it
All the difficulties we face can make us doubt the situation
Lead us to salvation, pour that oil please
Guide us to a better situation and make things better for us
That's how we become kings and queens
This is how we become rulers and leaders in our lives
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jhene Aiko Efuru Chilombo, Kortney Pollard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J
We are never far
We are never far
We are never far
We are never
Frequency, frequently
As I release these frequencies, speak to me
Every loaf, I'll listen up, please keep from me
As I release these frequencies, oh
Oh, free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, give me freedom
Bless the generation, give them mercy
Bless the situation, woah
Be with me frequently
Bless my situation, give me love
Bless the situation, let them know
Know that you love her
Know you can love
Oh, free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the generation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that there's love
Never far
We are never far
We are never far
We are never
Frequency, frequently
As I release these frequencies, speak to me
Every loaf, I'll listen up, please keep from me
As I release these frequencies, oh
Free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, give me freedom
Bless the generation, give them mercy
Bless the situation, oh
Be with me frequently
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the situation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that you love, oh
Free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the generation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that they're loved
Never far
We are never far
We are never far
We are never
Free my city, free my seed
Bless my situation, show me love
Bless the generation, let them know
Know that you love
Know that there's love
Lead them from temptation, make them royalty
All the things we're facin' makes us question it
Lead us to salvation, pour that oil please
That's how we become kings and queens
ItsQueen Babii
Please listen better.
We are never far.
We are never far.
We are river blood.
We are, near.
Frequency, frequently.
As I release these frequecies , speak to me.
Every loaf I'll listen up, please keep from me.
As I release these frequencies.
El,
Free my city free my seed.
Bless my situation.
Give me freedom.
Bless the generation, give them mercy.
Bless the situation.
El, be with me frequently.
Bless my situation give me love.
Bless the situaion, let them know.
Know that, Ewe love. (The Book Of Ewe. Ewe is pronounced like you. The book of you is the holy bible).
Know you can love.
Oh, free my city.
Free my seed.
Bless my situation.
Show me love.
Bless the generation, let them know.
Know that, Ewe love.
Know that there is love.
Never far.
We are never far.
We are near Ra, God.
We are, nearer.
Frequency, frequently.
As I release these frequecies, speak to me.
Every loaf I'll listen up, please keep from me.
As I release these frequencies.
O,
Free my city free my sea.
Bless my situation.
Give me freedom.
Bless the generation, give them mercy.
Bless the situation.
Aba, be with my frequently.
Bless my situation show me love.
Bless the situation let them know.
Know that Ewe, love.
Know that you love.
EL!!!
Free'd my city.
Free'd my seed.
Bless'd my situation show me love.
Bless the generation...
Let them know.
Know that you are love.
Know that there love.
Never far.
We are era far.
We are near Ra God.
We are EL.
Free my city, free my sea.
Bless my situation, show me love.
Bless the generation.
Let them know...
Know that Ewe love.
Know that there's love.
Lead them from temptation, make them royalty.
All the things we faced in, make us question it.
Lead us to salvation, pour that oil please.
That's how we become Kings and Queens.
Kadeva & Kenny
This song Is EVERYTHING.
queen V
Ik it is
Indiga Noir
You've always been chosen Kenneth ❤️. You always are right where I can find you
𝘈 𝘔 𝘖 𝘙✫
LISTEN TO FREQUENCY ARENA SLOWED https://youtu.be/cNM4jjWtDHI
thabo mokoena
Bruh!@
Necole Settles
Check out the live version
https://youtu.be/F4XwoLXpinA
Darius Maurice
I've cried so much to this album it's amazing! Pay attention to how songs make you feel. For many of us, it means cleansing and healing when we find ourselves crying to certain songs. Her music heals and touches the parts of us both men and women that we're afraid to let other see. It's a beautiful thing when you can listen to a WHOLE album and cry, reflect, re-energize, find inspiration , heal and transform! Blessings to all
Nikki Naqibah
Me too brought me to my knees it was so beautiful and amazing ❤❤❤
Created To Teach
🙌🏾❤️
Lady Day
May blessings be with you as well! You said that!