With musical collaborations like “Bed Peace” and “Pink Toes” already proving the chemistry between Jhene Aiko and Childish Gambino, the two took their working relationship to a new level this week, with the released of Aiko’s “The Pressure” video, directed by the multi-talented MC.
“I’m really interested in directing myself, so I like when I meet other people that bring something new to the table that it’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t even think of that, but I like it,’” she said of her decision to have the 30-year-old at the helm. “So when it came down to doing ‘The Pressure,’ I knew that I wanted it to be something different, and I wanted to bring in an outside view.”
The video takes a stripped down visual approach to depict the rising singer as she grapples with pressures on the home-front — like motherhood — as well as those that come with being in the public eye.
“I knew that I wanted it to be simplistic, and I knew that I wanted it to be different; that’s all I knew,” she said. “For the most part, I gave him creative control.”
With the reigns, not only did Gambino create a video Aiko loved, but the rapper — who first gained notoriety as an actor, writer, and comedian performing under his real name, Donald Glover — fostered an environment that brought the best out of Jhene.
“Most directors, they’ll just tell you what to do,” she said. “He set it up in my mind to where I could really act on those feelings for the video.”
Her Def Jam debut, Souled Out, hits stores on Tuesday, September 9.
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