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.
In a World of My Own/Very Good Advice
Jhené Aiko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't
And contrary wise, everything what it is, it wouldn't be
And what it wouldn't be, it would
Cats and rabbits would reside in fancy little houses
And be dressed in shoes and hats and trousers
In a world of my own
They would sit and talk to me for hours
When I'm lonely in a world of my own
There'd be no birds, lots of nice and friends howdy-do birds
Everyone would have a dozen bluebirds
Within that world of my own
In a world of my own
In a world of my own, my own
In a world of my own, in a world of my own
In a world of my own
I could listen to a babbling brook
And hear a song that I could understand
I keep wishing it could be that way
I keep wishing it could be that way
I keep wishing it could be that way
Because my world would be a wonderland
Well, when, when one's lost I, I suppose it's
Good advice to stay where you are until someone finds you
But, but who'd ever think to look for me here
Good advice
I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it
That explains the trouble I'm always in
'Be patient' is very good advice, but the waiting makes me curious
And I love the change, should something strange begin
Well I went along my merry way and I never stopped to reason
I should've know there'd be a price to pay some day
I do give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it
Will I ever learn to do the things I should?
I do give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it
Will I ever learn to do the things I should? (Should, should, should)
In a world of my own
In a world of my own
The lyrics to Jhené Aiko's song "In a World of My Own/Very Good Advice" are a whimsical and introspective exploration of the desire for escape and the struggle to follow one's own advice. The song starts by presenting a world that exists only in the singer's imagination, where everything defies logic and reality. In this world, cats and rabbits live in small houses and wear human clothing, and flowers have the power to converse with the singer. It is a place where loneliness is eradicated and birds are replaced by friendly bluebirds.
The chorus then introduces the idea of the singer's longing for a different reality. They express the desire to listen to a babbling brook and understand its song, yearning for a world where things make sense and are as they seem. However, the second half of the chorus introduces a conflict, as the singer admits to rarely following their own advice. They know what they should do and the importance of being patient, but their curiosity and love for change often lead them astray.
The bridge of the song reflects on the consequences of not heeding one's own advice. The singer acknowledges that they should have stopped to reason and consider the price to pay for their impulsive decisions. They question if they will ever truly learn and do the things they know they should.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense
In my own perfect world, nothing would make logical sense
Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't
The things that exist would no longer maintain their true nature because they would transform into something else entirely
And contrary wise, everything what it is, it wouldn't be
The reality would contradict itself by implying that things would remain the same, yet they would change
And what it wouldn't be, it would
Conversely, what something should not be, it would still become
Cats and rabbits would reside in fancy little houses
Feline and lagomorph creatures would inhabit charming tiny abodes
And be dressed in shoes and hats and trousers
These animals would wear shoes, hats, and pants as part of their attire
All the flowers would have very extra special powers
Every single flower would possess extraordinary and remarkable abilities
They would sit and talk to me for hours
They would engage in lengthy conversations with me, providing companionship
When I'm lonely in a world of my own
During moments of solitude within my personal universe
There'd be no birds, lots of nice and friends howdy-do birds
Birds would be absent, but they would be replaced by friendly and sociable avian beings
Everyone would have a dozen bluebirds
Every individual would possess twelve bluebirds as their own companions
I could listen to a babbling brook
I would have the ability to listen to the soothing sounds of a chattering stream
And hear a song that I could understand
I would comprehend the lyrics of a melodious tune
I keep wishing it could be that way
I constantly desire for my world to possess these qualities
Because my world would be a wonderland
As a result, my world would become an enchanting and magical place
Well, when, when one's lost I, I suppose it's
Well, when an individual becomes lost, I suppose it's
Good advice to stay where you are until someone finds you
Sage guidance recommends staying in one place until someone locates you
But, but who'd ever think to look for me here
However, no one would ever consider searching for me in this specific location
I give myself very good advice, but I very seldom follow it
I provide excellent counsel to myself, yet I rarely put it into practice
That explains the trouble I'm always in
This clarifies the predicaments and difficulties I consistently find myself in
'Be patient' is very good advice, but the waiting makes me curious
The recommendation to 'be patient' is indeed wise, but the act of waiting sparks my curiosity
And I love the change, should something strange begin
I embrace unexpected transformations, particularly when they commence with something peculiar
Well I went along my merry way and I never stopped to reason
I blindly continued on my joyful path without pausing to reflect or analyze
I should've know there'd be a price to pay some day
I should have been aware that eventually there would be consequences
Will I ever learn to do the things I should?
Am I destined to acquire the knowledge and capability to perform the actions that are expected of me?
(Should, should, should)
(I should, I should, I should)
In a world of my own
Within my own personal realm
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Bob Hilliard, Sammy Fain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erwin Co
In the world of my own/Very good advice Original by: Disney Legends 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 Kathryn Beaumont artist Jhené Aiko album ALICE in WONDERLAND 1951
(The voice of Alice Pleasance Liddell of ALICE in WONDERLAND 1951 & Wendy Moira Angela Darling of Peter Pan 1953 Miss Kathryn Beaumont now @ the age of 84 she already retirement in Walt Disney Company Studio in Burbank California)
🇵🇭 🇯🇵
きょかつい
許克偉
Kyo Katsui
Erwin Co
chunky
this has been on my Spotify since it came out years ago 😭 it's still sooo good and I listen to it every time I rewatch the 1951 film
COINCIDENCEorSYNCHRONICITY
1951 the year it all began
JediKnightNahom
such a peaceful song
Odelia Lynn Thornhill
Forreal
Odelia Lynn Thornhill
Such a beautiful Song.
O͜͡l͜͡i͜͡v͜͡e͜͡r͜͡ i͜͡s͜͡ p͜͡i͜͡s͜͡s͜͡e͜͡d͜͡
I never knew there's a covered version of this song 🥲
COINCIDENCEorSYNCHRONICITY
I love this song
Xzaia Mendoza
the amount of views is insane, goes to show how unknown this cover is
Odelia Lynn Thornhill
❤❤❤
Alexis Boerger
Not me crying at work watering the flowers 😭😭🌹