Jhené Aiko Shares How Daughter Namiko Inspired Her To Pursue A Music Career

Jhené Aiko has been making waves in the music industry. Before her steady rise, however, the “Worst” singer was unsure about the path she was going to take, but she said the birth of her daughter helped her decide.

In an episode of “Vice Autobiographies,” as quoted by The Boom Box, Aiko shared how her daughter, Namiko Love, pushed her to pursue her music career.

“In 2008, I got pregnant with my daughter. She made me feel fearless,” Aiko said. “I never doubted that something good would come from it. If anything, it was inspiring and it just gave me this extra, extra drive.”

The “New Balance” singer, who was working at a vegan cafe at the time, decided to leave her job and focus on working on her mixtape. “I remember one day I was just like, ‘I can’t go back to the restaurant,’” Aiko said. “‘I’m going to focus on this mixtape and see what happens from there,’ so it was like a leap of faith.”

Since deciding to do music full-time, Aiko has been taking things very seriously. It’s been a few years since her last record, and Aiko is still working on her new project. The singer says she doesn’t want to call it an album because it’s more of an experience.

“I would say, it’s definitely bigger than anything I’ve ever done,” Aiko said in an interview with Nylon magazine. “Writing has always been my real passion. If I wasn’t gonna do anything else, I’d be writing and creating -- and I feel like writing is creating. This is why it’s taken me so much time. Nothing I do is rushed.”

While waiting for new music from Aiko, fans can enjoy her collaboration with rumored boyfriend Big Sean. The two released their joint album, “Twenty88,” early this year, according to Billboard.