Genre-crossing Jhene Aiko to perform at Nationwide Arena on ‘Magic Hour Tour’
Six-time Grammy nominee Jhené Aiko, whose style has alternately been described as “alternative R&B,” “hipster R&B” and “caught in a revolutionized limbo,” will bring her first headlining tour in five years to Nationwide Arena on Aug. 22.
Tickets for Aiko’s “The Magic Hour Tour” will be available beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at jheneaiko.com.
Before hitting the road with Coi Leray, Tink, UMI and Kiana Ledé this summer, Aiko will be performing two sets at the internationally known Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April.
The 36-year-old LA native is the younger sister of R&B artist Mila, who appeared in Prince’s 1991 music video “Diamonds and Pearls.” She had her mainstream breakthrough in 2013, performing with Lil Wayne on Big Sean’s single “Beware,” which rose to the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In addition to releasing three critically well-received albums, Aiko has collaborated with artists including Common, Childish Gambino, John Legend and H.E.R., and opened on tours for Drake, The Weeknd, Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, Lana Del Rey, Beyonce and Jay-z. She also sang “America the Beautiful” before Super Bowl LVI in 2022.
The soprano-voiced singer is known for being an experimental artist who uses different sounds in her music such as mantras and crystal alchemy singing bowls and blends genres including classic R&B, hip-hop and psychedelica.
Aiko’s musical approach is often linked to a new wave of music called “PBR&B” — an amalgam of “PBR” (the abbreviation for Pabst Blue Ribbon, a beer often associated with the hipster subculture) and R&B — a term coined by journalists to describe a style considered more progressive and diverse than contemporary R&B.
bpaschal@dispatch.com