COURTESY PHOTOS, DEF JAM
Blossoming, yet inevitably soulful
She’s soulful — protective of her craft and adamant about standing her ground in an industry dominated by alpha males and gimmicks. ”I would rather just stay respectful to myself than to get ahead by doing something that compromises my beliefs,” remarks the entertainer. No stranger to the music industry Jhené Aiko is rising to full bloom — a rose in a concrete world.
“Everyone can realize their dream but it’s about timing. Everything happens when it’s suppose to. Everyone has their time.” In more ways than one Jhene’s time is now with a dream once deferred years ago that’s finally come full circle. A far cry from just another girl, she’s a young woman who knows what she wants and takes control. It’s all or nothing.
There’s something about the Sailing Soul(s) singer’s innate ability to touch hearts through raw emotion, revealing the woman within, that starts with just a pen and a paper — from her soul to our hearts. Her soft and sultry voice elevates her fans to places everyone can relate to. “I think the reason why people can relate is because it comes from a place that’s really me.”
Our exclusive interview with the petite beauty touches on her confessions of being a beauty junkie, artists she would ideally like to collaborate with in addition to up and coming projects we can expect to see debut in the coming weeks.
By Kamille C. of MODA DOSSIER and Danitha Jones.
MODA DOSSIER: How do you feel as a young woman in an industry dominated mostly by men?Do you ever feel like you are placed in a position where you have to compromise your aesthetic or values?
JHENE AIKO: There’s definitely a difference between the level of respect because it seems a little easier for men. I think you just have to work a little harder as a woman. Personally, I don’t feel like I have to compromise my aesthetic or values; but that also makes it a little harder just because I’m really adamant about standing my ground with certain things and I don’t feel like I have to compromise to get extra attention. I know that some women do but I would rather just stay respectful to myself than to get ahead by doing something that compromises my beliefs.
Hits like a ‘Stranger,’ ‘Mirrors, ‘ and ’3:16AM’ are amazing melodies, exuding such raw emotion and transparency like most of your music does. How were you able to get yourself in a comfortable mindset where you were able to connect with your fans on a much deeper level, revealing the true you through your sound?
When I write songs, it’s pretty much about me getting over something or trying to. It’s not even a conscious decision for me to think, “how can I reach my audience on a deeper level” or “how can I pull them into my world.” It’s me going through something and trying to get over it or coming to terms with whatever happened — that turns into the song. I think the reason why people can relate is because it comes from a place that’s really me.
Who is one artist you’d love to collaborate with that you haven’t yet and What artists influence your current work?
I really want to collaborate with John Mayer and Kid Cudi. The first album that I got into of his was Man on the Moon, Vol. II: The Legend of Mr. Rager and it felt like whatever he was going through during that time was what I was going through. I listened to the album and I was like “I feel him on all of these songs;” It was all I could listen to. Every time he put out an album it was like I was going through similar situations and I would have to listen to the album every day. I feel like whatever he’s going through that’s what he’s talking about. Sometimes it doesn’t sound like he wrote the song; It sounds like he went in and said whatever was on his mind. That’s sort of similar to how I work. It just seems very honest and I would just like to see what we could come up with.
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