

On December 16, 2011, Aiko signed a recording contract with American record producer No I.D.'s record label ARTium, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. In March 2011, Aiko made her return to music with the release of her first full-length project, a mixtape titled Sailing Soul(s).

In 2003, Aiko was set to release her debut album, My Name Is Jhené, through her labels Sony, The Ultimate Group and Epic however, the album was never released, and Aiko asked to be released from the label in order to continue her education. In an effort to promote and cultivate a following for her, she was marketed as B2K member Lil' Fizz's cousin she is not actually related to him. Aiko embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in music videos for R&B group B2K. Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo ( / dʒ ə ˈ n eɪ ˈ aɪ k oʊ/ born March 16, 1988) is an American singer and songwriter.
