Jhene Aiko has released a new short film called Trip in advance of her Trip 17 album. Aiko plays a poet named Penny who amidst mourning the death of her brother goes on a spontaneous adventure with a stranger. It's cut with spoken word poetry and new music.
Aiko lost her brother Miyagi to cancer in July 2012. She recorded the song "For My Brother" for him, which he heard just before he passed away. The song was later released publicly.
Jhene explained her creative process on her new material in a recent interview on The Breakfast club. "I am just really into expressing myself," she explained. "This year, I just want to show every side of me. I really want to dive into who I am, which I feel like I've been doing since I first started. Obviously, I'm getting older and I feel like I'm more in tune with who I am and less afraid to express every side of myself."
Speaking with Playboy, she shared the concept behind the title. "[It's] inspired by every type of trip you could imagine: mental, physical, even psychedelic," she said. "I’m at a point where I put it all in the music. It’s a puzzle I want people to put together.”
This summer, Aiko released "Hello Ego (Don't Stop)" with Chris Brown, and "While We're Young." The songs are expected to appear on her upcoming album, which is currently without a release date. It is unclear if her November single "Maniac" will be included on the LP.