Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (born March 16, 1988), also known simply as Jhené Aiko is an American singer , songwriter and recording artist from Los Angeles , California . Formerly signed to The Ultimate Group and Epic Records , she left both labels in order to continue her education. Aiko began her career being known as " Lil Fizz s cousin", however she is not actually related to him. It was used as a marketing tool suggested by Sony and Epic to promote her through the R&B group B2K and attract an audience, though Aiko affirms that she and Lil Fizz grew up together and were close like family.
On December 16, 2011, Aiko signed a recording contract with record producer No ID s record label Artium, distributed through Def Jam Recordings . She has been described as having gentle and pop-tinged vocals.
Jhené Aiko was born and raised in Los Angeles, California , the daughter of Christina Yamamoto and Dr. Karamo Chilombo (birth name Greg Barnes), a pediatrician. She is of mixed race background—her mother is of Japanese , Spanish , and Dominican descent, while her father is of African American , Yaqui , Choctaw , Cherokee , Navajo , and German Jewish descent. She also has French ancestry. She often states her ethnicity as "Japanese, African American, Native American, etc." based on percentages but identifies with all parts of her heritage. Her older sisters Miyoko and Jamila were in the R&B group Gyrl and toured with Immature , who were signed to MCA / Silas Records . This led to Jhenés first meeting with producer Chris Stokes when she was five years old, and eventually he heard her sing. When B2K signed with Epic Records, Jhené was signed as well. She served as the opening act for B2K on their Scream Tour 3.