Jhene Aiko’s ‘Chilombo’ Returns To Vinyl
The latest pressing of Aiko’s 2020, Grammy-nominated album, is available now.
Chilombo, Jhené Aiko’s third and most recent album, is back on vinyl.
Originally released on March 5, 2020, Chilombo is a chilled-out body of work that came from a place of freedom and unfettered creativity. Aiko described the album at the time as being made of “freestyles where I touch on many subjects and relationships…past, present, and future.” Aiko also brings a number of musical relationships to the forefront on Chilombo, welcoming guest contributions from the likes of H.E.R., NAS, John Legend, Dr. Chill, Ab-Soul. She also brings her romantic and musical relationship with Big Sean, with whom she shares her son Noah, to the body of work. The two had also previously recorded music together as TWENTY88.
Chilombo also sees Aiko experimenting with the sound of Tibetan crystal sound bowls, sometimes called “singing bowls.” “I was really using them for myself — like therapy — an alternative to self-medicating and not dealing with how I’m feeling,” the musician said in a 2021 interview with Variety. “I just found them very relaxing and soothing, and even addictive to play, like literally the motion of playing the sound bowls felt good to me.” For the different tracks on Chilombo, Aiko researched the keys and the chakras each bowl represented, bringing different bowl sounds to a ballad like “Pray for You” than she would have used on a more sexual song like “PU$$Y Fairy (OTW).”
The efforts paid off well for Aiko, and not just musically. Chilombo racked up three nominations for the 2021 Grammy ceremony, including the coveted Album Of The Year category. The work was also nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album, and Aiko’s duet with John Legend, “Lightning and Thunder,” earned a nod for Best R&B Performance. Chilombo also received the Outstanding Album trophy from the NAACP Image Awards in 2021.
