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.
One Way St.
Jhené Aiko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Going the wrong way on a one-way street, ah
I'm feelin' strangely sane today
I am amazed, I'm brave today
I rearranged my brain today
I rearranged my ways
Going the wrong way on a one-way street, ah
I wait for love, I waste away
Wasting my days, I waste away
I wasted love, I waste away
Wasting my days, I wait
Going the wrong way on a one-way street, yeah
Going the wrong way on a one-way street (yo), ah
Stuck in traffic on the road less traveled, no fast track
That's how life'll do you
I had to learn to backtrack before I could move forward
Like quadruple
Uh, I been goin' insane, ask Jhené
I may be way too high, the sky is in my way
My judgement's cloudy because of it
Still staying grounded like a child on punishment
Runnin' and tumblin', stumblin', hidin' from idle time (time)
It isn't in my design to deny the signs (signs)
Always remember the fallen when on the rise (rise)
And when you find your calling, don't hit decline (hello)
They want me with my back against the wall
I bounce back, that's a echo, fuck 'em all
Not sexually, disrespectfully
Instead of catching me, all that's left of me is tire marks
Yeah (I'm gone)
Melancholy, mediocre mess
Maybe I should just give it a rest now
I just gotta get this off my chest (yeah)
Lately I have been so fuckin' stressed out
Flippin'-floppy, wishy-washy, never twice the same
Found her calling, now they're calling her another name
"This bitch crazy, or just maybe so sane she's insane"
Hard to say, well, who's to say which way is the wrong way?
Wait, wait
(Yeah, I fuck with that)
You're my friend, okay, bye
In Jhené Aiko's song "One Way St.", she portrays the struggle of having to deal with her emotions and trying to find her way in life while feeling trapped and unable to move forward. She starts by expressing how she feels lost in her life as she sings "Going the wrong way on a one-way street" twice, which serves as a metaphor for how she is stuck in a situation where she can't seem to make any progress or find the right direction to go. Despite feeling lost, she then shifts to expressing how she has made an effort to change that by rearranging her ways and brain.
Throughout the song, she mentions feeling stuck, waiting for love, and wasting away, which portrays the frustration that comes with feeling stuck in a rut. The bridge expresses the feeling of being stuck in traffic on the road less traveled, which refers to how life can be unpredictable and filled with obstacles, which can make it hard to move forward. She then acknowledges the importance of taking a step back and reassessing before making any progress.
The chorus repeats the idea of going the wrong way on a one-way street, which represents the idea that life can often feel like it's moving in one direction while we're moving in another. The ending of the song mentions feeling stressed out and not being sure of how to proceed, which is a relatable sentiment for anyone who has ever felt stuck.
Overall, "One Way St." expresses the frustration and confusion that often comes with trying to find our way in life while dealing with internal struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Going the wrong way on a one-way street
I am going against the norms of society and doing things differently.
Going the wrong way on a one-way street, ah
I am making my own choices instead of following the crowd.
I'm feelin' strangely sane today
I am feeling confident and strong today.
I am amazed, I'm brave today
I am feeling incredible and courageous today.
I rearranged my brain today
I changed my way of thinking and opened up my mind.
I rearranged my ways
I changed the way I do things and embrace new possibilities.
I wait for love, I waste away
I am longing for love and am wasting away while waiting for it.
Wasting my days, I waste away
I am not making the most of my time and am feeling lost and hopeless.
I wasted love, I waste away
I squandered a chance at love and am now feeling miserable because of it.
Wasting my days, I wait
I am not taking action and am waiting for something to happen instead of making it happen.
Stuck in traffic on the road less traveled, no fast track
I am finding it difficult to move forward and achieve my goals, despite taking an unconventional path.
That's how life'll do you
This is just how life works, and it can be challenging.
I had to learn to backtrack before I could move forward
I had to take a step back and reassess my situation before I could make progress.
Like quadruple
I had to backtrack multiple times before finding the right path.
Uh, I been goin' insane, ask Jhené
I have been struggling with my mental health recently, and Jhené knows this.
I may be way too high, the sky is in my way
I may have unrealistic expectations, which are preventing me from achieving my goals.
My judgement's cloudy because of it
I am having a hard time making rational decisions because of my unrealistic expectations.
Still staying grounded like a child on punishment
Despite my struggles, I am trying to stay grounded and focused.
Runnin' and tumblin', stumblin', hidin' from idle time (time)
I am trying to stay busy and productive to avoid feelings of boredom and anxiety.
It isn't in my design to deny the signs (signs)
I am trying to be more aware of the signs around me and make better decisions based on them.
Always remember the fallen when on the rise (rise)
It is important to stay humble and remember those who supported me when things were tough.
And when you find your calling, don't hit decline (hello)
If you find something you are passionate about, don't refuse the opportunity to pursue it.
They want me with my back against the wall
There are people who are against me and want me to fail.
I bounce back, that's a echo, fuck 'em all
I am resilient and will come back stronger, despite any setbacks or obstacles I face.
Not sexually, disrespectfully
I am not interested in those people, nor do I respect their opinions.
Instead of catching me, all that's left of me is tire marks
Instead of helping me, those people are only making things more difficult, and I am leaving them behind.
Melancholy, mediocre mess
I am feeling sad, average, and stuck in a rut.
Maybe I should just give it a rest now
Perhaps I need to take a break and focus on self care before moving forward.
I just gotta get this off my chest (yeah)
I need to share my feelings with someone and process what I am going through.
Lately I have been so fuckin' stressed out
I have been dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety lately.
Flippin'-floppy, wishy-washy, never twice the same
I am indecisive and have trouble sticking with one decision or path for long.
Found her calling, now they're calling her another name
I found my passion and am pursuing it, but some people are judging me or expecting me to be someone else.
"This bitch crazy, or just maybe so sane she's insane"
People are questioning my sanity, but perhaps my unique perspective is actually a strength.
Hard to say, well, who's to say which way is the wrong way?
It is difficult to know what is right or wrong, and we all have to make our own decisions based on our circumstances.
Wait, wait
Pause and take a moment to reflect on what you are doing before moving forward.
"(Yeah, I fuck with that)"
I agree with and support what you are saying or doing.
You're my friend, okay, bye
I value your friendship, but I need to focus on myself now and am signing off for a bit.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herbert Stevens, Jhene Aiko Chilombo, Julian-Quan Viet Le
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SailingSoulAiko
who's to say which way is the wrong way?
@moonlight_ary9107
Ayyy
@jessicagutierrez110
💛
@apexindigo3217
Pisces Love Enternally
@niabutts6595
😩❤️❤️❤️
@g.a.m.s1311
Yooo
@mobby4422
Jhene is such a goddess . And Soul is such an underrated Lyrical genius .
@32GARYION
Ab is a Genius
@smbfd8228
You’re right!
@queenfacebeautyemily
Yes