I have notebooks and lots of notes in my phone, so that when I’m in the studio - whether I’m working on my music or a feature - I just open up my notebook.”įor “Chilombo,” released in March 2020 and up for album of the year, progressive R&B album and R&B performance, for “Lightning and Thunder,” her duet with John Legend, Aiko has come into her own as both an artist and a songwriter. So I got into the habit of just always writing things down. “Thoughts just come to me, either one-liners or a whole concept.
“I pretty much think in rhyme,” Aiko says. She delivers the rap without flinching: “It’s the J, uh, the really funky one / I could rap you up in every single way / Can I play / If I can, you could see me like every single day / C’mon, don’t you want to play / If you be like me / You a G, uh.” “I remember looking up to her and wanting to write a rap of my own.” “I was inspired by her because she was young and small, and I always had been really small,” Aiko says. … I learned to always take my time and to always stay true to myself and make the kind of music I want to make.”Īiko remembers writing her first song at age 6, moved by Raven-Symoné’s 1993 single “That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of,” which was released when Raven-Symoné was 7. “I also learned that things take time, in this industry especially. “I learned to keep my family close from watching them navigate the music industry,” she says. Though Aiko was due to release her debut album in 2003 via Ultimate, she decided to focus on her education instead, and the album never came to fruition.Īiko says her sisters’ singing helped her establish her priorities. Gyrl soon caught the attention of Chris Stokes, founder of label The Ultimate Group, who would eventually become Aiko’s manager as well. Karamo built a home studio in their garage, and Aiko would listen to them harmonize in awe. When Aiko was 5, her sisters, Mila J and Miyoko, formed the R&B group Gyrl with Paulette Maxwell, giving Aiko a firsthand look at the music industry. Dre, 2Pac, Brandy, TLC, Alanis Morrissette, Fiona Apple and the Spice Girls were among the artists in heavy rotation. As the youngest, Aiko may not have had a say in what was played in the house, but she loved it nonetheless - Dr. Her father, Karamo, dreamed of becoming a musician as a young adult, and passed his passion for music on to his five children. But in using the sound bowls as a spiritual guide, she is equally looking to connect with her fans - and help them to heal as well.Ī Los Angeles native, Aiko grew up surrounded by music. or “PU$$Y Fairy (OTW),” wrap around a sustained D note, which serves to activate the sex organs, she says.Īiko’s longtime partner, rapper Big Sean - who features on the album’s track “None of Your Concern” - surely isn’t opposed when work bleeds into their home life. Sentimental songs like “Pray for You” spoke to the heart chakra in the key of F sharp, while more sensual tracks, like “B.S.” with H.E.R. To employ the bowls correctly, Aiko researched the individual chakras they represent, making sure that they aligned with the “Chilombo” track list. She says the bowls felt natural with the evolution of her sound, which has become much more acoustic and reliant on instrumentals since 2017’s “Trip,” as opposed to the digitized beats that can be found on her 2014 debut album, “Souled Out.” For the project, a soul-comforting, stripped-down manifesto of her personal growth, Aiko invested in crystal alchemy sound bowls, which are made of quartz but infused with precious gemstones and metals that give the bowls different healing properties, she explains.