Although you may have heard of and been obsessed with Jhene Aiko for a while now, you probably haven’t heard of her equally talented sister Mila J, who has flown subtly under the radar. 2014 is set to be a huge year for both sisters as they are both set to release studio albums and hit the mainstream after gaining underground acclaim.
Jhene (pronounced Juh-nay) has been on the scene for a couple of years building momentum after releasing her breakout mixtape ‘Sailing Souls’ back in 2011. Since then, she has collaborated with the hottest hiphop artists including Kanye West, Drake, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Schoolboy Q and Big Sean to name but a few, as well as opening for Nas and Lauren Hill on their Life Is Good/Black Rage tour in 2012. Not bad at all for someone who has yet to release a studio album. Citing a wide range of musical influences from Tupac, Kid Cudi and Kendrick Lamar to Aaliyah, Brandy and India.Arie, Jhene’s sound is hard to place, a mixture of classic Sade and contemporary Frank Ocean. Her first album entitled ‘Souled Out’ will be released in May 2014. My favourite tracks by Jhene are The Worst and Mirrors.
Jhene’s older sister started out as a dancer, spotted at a young age by Chris Stokes. She was a dancer for Prince (!), part of R&B group Gyrl and toured with Immature (who I was utterly obsessed with as a child). Mila had a brief stint as a solo artists releasing one album but took a haitus and recently returned to the music scene, releasing a mixtape in 2012. Heavily influenced by Brandy, Tank, Janet Jackson and TLC, Mila is channelling a real Aaliyah vibe. Huge claim but trust me, I don’t say it lightly. If her mixtape is anything to go by, her second studio album M.I.L.A is going to be huge. My stand out tracks by Mila are All Night and Smoke, Drink, Break Up.
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