Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (born March 16, 1988), better known as Jhené Aiko… Read Full Bio ↴Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (born March 16, 1988), better known as Jhené Aiko or simply Jhené, is an American singer-songwriter and recording artist from Los Angeles, California. She is the older sister of actor and singer Tyler Antonius . Jhené was Formerly signed to The Ultimate Group and Epic Records, she left both labels in order to continue her education. Aiko began her career being known as "Lil' Fizz's cousin", however she is not actually related to him. It was used as a marketing tool suggested by Sony and Epic to promote her through the R&B group B2K and attract an audience, though Aiko affirms that she and Lil' Fizz grew up together and were close like family.

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.

Space Jam
Jhené Aiko Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I met him in outer space
He asked me what I was doing there
'Cause I looked out of place
I told him where I come from
I don't wanna go back
He said compared to where he's from
It can't be that bad
And he said yeah yeah

I asked him if I could get away with him
Go grab my bags and just run away with him

And he said
We come from two different worlds girl
You're just an earth girl
You can never understand the type
Of man I am

He told me where he comes from
That everyone has a gun they're always at war
I told him where I reside
My brother is dyin' and there is no cure
I got a baby to feed
I barely eat
I'm chasin a dream

He told me he could relate
It's so insane

And that's when I said
We come from two different worlds but
There's only one us
That could make things easier
And he said
You come from a different world girl
But I think I'm yours girl

Let's get lost tonight
And start our on world
Start our own world
Lost in our world
Start our own world

We come from two different worlds but

There's only one love
That could make things easier

Overall Meaning

Jhené Aiko's song "Space Jam" tells a love story between two beings from different worlds, one from Earth and the other from outer space. The singer meets him in outer space, and he questions why she's there since she seems out of place. She reveals where she comes from and tells him she doesn't want to return. He tells her that from where he comes, it cannot be worse than her situation. This new man shows a lot of care for her and proposes they escape together. Though, he insists that they come from two different worlds making it difficult for her to comprehend who he is. He tells her that everyone from where he comes from always has a gun, and they are always at war. In comparison, she tells him about her sick brother and her struggles to survive personally.

However, as they continue talking, the connection grows stronger between them, and they see they have a lot in common. The man sees her struggles, and they connect on different levels, though they come from different worlds. The couple decides to create their own world where love could be the only remedy to their problems.

"Space Jam" speaks on themes of love, escapism, and hope. The song encourages listeners not to let their circumstances determine their fate. The story of two strangers from different worlds shows that despite our differences, we can relate and find happiness together. The song's soft and soothing melody vibes allow the audience to understand and connect with the singer's journey through her lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

I met him in outer space
I encountered him in a different environment

He asked me what I was doing there
He inquired as to why I was present

'Cause I looked out of place
Due to my appearance, I seemed strange to him

I told him where I come from
I disclosed my place of origin

I don't wanna go back
I do not wish to return to my previous location

He said compared to where he's from It can't be that bad And he said yeah yeah
He stated that my location could not be worse than his, and continued to agree with himself

I asked him if I could get away with him Go grab my bags and just run away with him
I inquired about the possibility of leaving with him by collecting my belongings and absconding

We come from two different worlds girl You're just an earth girl You can never understand the type Of man I am
We are from dissimilar environments, and you are merely a human female who cannot comprehend my personality

He told me where he comes from That everyone has a gun they're always at war
He communicated that individuals in his location are commonly armed and continuously fighting

I told him where I reside My brother is dyin' and there is no cure I got a baby to feed I barely eat I'm chasin a dream
I confided my current living situation, where my sibling is terminally ill and has no remedy; I must provide for my child despite my own lack of nourishment, while pursuing my aspirations

He told me he could relate It's so insane
He expressed his ability to understand, while deeming the situation to be inane

We come from two different worlds but There's only one us That could make things easier And he said You come from a different world girl But I think I'm yours girl
Albeit our distinct environments, we are united as one, simplifying matters; Furthermore, he acknowledged that I am from a separate world, however, he believes we belong together

Let's get lost tonight And start our on world Start our own world Lost in our world Start our own world
Let us escape from all of this, and initiate our own exclusive universe, lost within ourselves

We come from two different worlds but There's only one love That could make things easier
Although we originate from dissimilar circumstances, there is solely one love between us that could simplify everything

Contributed by Arianna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Lyrics:
I met him in outer space
He asked me what I was doing there
Cause I looked out of place
I told him where I come from
I don't wanna go back
He said compared to where he's from
It can't be that bad
And he said yeah yeah
I asked him if I could get away with him
Go grab my bags and just run away with him

And he said we come from two different worlds girl
You're just an earth girl
You can never understand the type of man I am

He told me where he comes from
That everyone has a gun
They're always at war
I told him where I reside
My brother is dyin' and there is no cure
I got a baby to feed
I barely eat
I'm chasin a dream

He told me he could relate
It's so insane
And that's when I said
We come from two different worlds but
There's only one us
That could make things easier
And he said you come from a different world girl
But I think I'm yours, girl
Let's get lost tonight
And start our on world
Start our own world
Lost in our world
Start our own world

We come from two different worlds but
There's only one love
That could make things easier