Jhené Aiko

Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; juh-NAY-EYE-kow; born March 16, 1988) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by their record label, The Ultimate Group that same year and was marketed as the "cousin" of B2K member Lil' Fizz to cultivate her own following, although they are not related. Her debut album, slated for a 2003 release through the label with Epic Records, was shelved due to Aiko instead further pursuing her education. In March 2011, Aiko made her return to music with the release of her first full-length project, a mixtape titled Sailing Soul(s). In December of that year, she signed a recording contract with producer No I.D.'s record label ARTium Recordings, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. Aiko gained mainstream recognition with her guest performance alongside Lil Wayne on Big Sean's 2013 single, "Beware", which marked her first entry on Billboard Hot 100 — peaking within the chart's top 40. In November of that year, she released her debut extended play (EP) Sail Out, which spawned the singles "3:16AM", "Bed Peace" (featuring Childish Gambino) and "The Worst"—the latter received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Aiko's studio albums, Souled Out (2014), Trip (2017) and Chilombo (2020), were each met with critical and commercial success; the latter peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and earned Aiko three Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year.