NPR’s latest installation of the Tiny Desk (Home) Concert features Jhené Aiko, who performed some of her newer songs from her latest Chilombo album, as well as some fan favorites.
During the eight-song medley, Aiko played “Lotus (Intro),” “Born Tired,” and “Summer 2020” from Chilombo, as well as “Stranger,” “Do Better Blues,” “To Love & Die,” “W.A.Y.S.,” and “Eternal Sunshine.”
Aiko released the new LP in March, which boasted features from Big Sean, H.E.R., Future, Miguel, Ab-Soul, John Legend, and Ty Dolla Sign. Chilombo is the singer’s legal surname, which she later told Billboard means “wild beast.” She continued, “they’re strong, confident, and graceful. Beasts are also beautiful.”
Describing the album’s sound, Aiko also told the outlet, “I’m still in transition, but I’m still me. I still love to write all types of songs and listen to all types of music, but Chilombo definitely has a lot more acoustic instruments because I wanted it to be music that you can feel.” She added, “You can hear what the mic was picking up in the room. Everyone was playing actual instruments, [and] those resonate with you differently than digital. Chilombo is all of my projects that I put out prior to this combined. This is the baby—but it’s the evolved version.”
She released the project's deluxe version in July, which saw the addition of nine new tracks with guest appearances from Kehlani, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and several others.
Watch Aiko's Tiny Desk (Home) Concert at the top.
