Def Jam new artist, Jhene Aiko is carving her lane in the music industry. After debuting her first single: “3:16am“, the L.A born singer nabbed a spot as the opening line-up on Nas tour alongside Lauryn Hill.Aiko recently talked to ‘RollingOut.com‘ where she talked about her here transition from Epic records [where she was under prior along with B2k] to Def Jam, balancing motherhood and a music career , and touring with two great music legends.
Check out a few excerpts from her interview below:
On Hooking Up With No I.D and Signing With Def Jam:
“A mutual friend began working with No I.D. He called and said No I.D. wanted to have a meeting with me. He told me he was with Def Jam. The interview was unlike any meeting I had before. He made me feel comfortable. He’s very humble.”
On Touring With Nas And Lauryn Hill:
“It’s an honor. I had been offered different tours at the same time. My management works closely with some of Nas’ management. This was the tour I really wanted to do because Nas and Lauryn Hill are legends. I strive to be as great as they are.”
On Working With Kendrick Lamar and the TDE click.
“A member of Kendrick Lamar’s management called me before he was signed with Interscope. We did a song for his mixtape and I met everyone at TDE. We all relate and come from the same place, so it’s easy for us to work together.”
On Balancing A Music Career and Motherhood:
“Be patient. Everything takes a little longer when you have a child. It’s small things like getting ready for your day. You have to factor in the extra hours because you have your child to get ready also. That goes along with your career. I’m a hands on mother. Instead of being in the studio all night, I will only be in the studio for five hours because I want to spend time with my daughter. Because of that, my album my take a little longer. But it’s worth it because my child comes first. You have to continue to spend time with your child because you can get that time back.”
In case you haven’t see her new video “3:16am” here it is: