ThisisRnB TV: Jhené Aiko Talks Debut Album ‘Souled Out,’ Writing Her Own Stories & Marijuana Influence on Music

Jhené Aiko is currently prepping for the release of her debut album Souled Out, which is expected later this year via Island Def Jam. The L.A. native recently released the video for new song “Burning Man (3:16 pm),” which is a much more lighthearted record than it’s predecessor, the dark “3:16 AM.” ThisisRnB TV recently caught up with Jhené for a very candid interview.

The singer-songwriter spoke about the status of ‘Souled Out,’ and briefly what fans can expect from the project, “It’s not [about] oh I have a club hit, and I have a this and a that, it’s just like good songs, great songs.” She talked about deciding to sign with producer No I.D. and his Artrium imprint, needing to still work on record with him and what other producers she has worked with on the album. Jhené discussed how important writing her own material is to her, and how it defines her as an artist, “After each song I’ve lost like a piece of me, because I’ve put it in to the song.”

She revealed that she enjoys being high or using the feeling of being high as inspiration for her writing, and in fact her mixtape “Sailing Souls” was done entirely high, most of the new album was written high, but recorded sober, and fans will be able to hear a difference in her vocal. She also shared a story of when she realized how connected her fans were to smoking and listening to her music at a show in Oakland.

Below catch another clip where Jhené reminisces about releasing her acclaimed 2011 mixtape ‘Sailing Souls,’ and talks about filming the dark, creepy video for her song “3:16 AM.”