Jhené Aiko has returned with Westside Whimsy, her first studio album in six years and a 20-track journey through heartbreak, healing and self-discovery.

The project marks Aiko’s fourth studio album and follows 2020’s platinum-certified Chilombo. This time around, the Los Angeles singer draws heavily from her West Coast roots, taking inspiration from 1990s music alongside California’s car, beach and surfing cultures.

Across Westside Whimsy, Aiko explores the emotional changes she has experienced during the six years between albums. On ‘Ghost’, she turns inward as she confronts personal battles and the feeling of being trapped in recurring cycles.

The album also reunites Aiko with Kendrick Lamar on ‘So Good’, continuing a musical relationship that previously produced ‘Stay Ready (What a Life)’ from her 2013 Sail Out EP and Lamar’s ‘Growing Apart (To Get Closer)’.

Other collaborators across the project include Ab-Soul and Larry June, adding to a record firmly connected to Aiko’s West Coast musical identity.

Although Westside Whimsy is her first full-length release since Chilombo, Aiko remained active between albums with tracks including ‘Calm & Patient’, ‘Alive & Well’, ‘Sun/Son’ and ‘Guidance’.

She also brought her influential 2011 mixtape Sailing Soul(s) to streaming platforms in 2021.

With Westside Whimsy, Aiko officially begins a new chapter while returning to the laid-back California influences that have long shaped her sound.

YEEEAAH! Network Team
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