For the past three months R&B songstress Jhené Aiko has been crisscrossing North America on the 33-city High Road Tour with hip-hop royalty Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa.

Her airy vocals have been a major draw to the tens of thousands gathering each night in cities ranging from Tampa and Toronto to Syracuse and Charlotte.

Her most loyal of fans take to social media eager to follow every move of her and her team, or “family” as she refers to her band, management and glam squad that travel from city to city.

As the High Road tour rolls into its final stop in Seattle, MERRY JANE chats with Jhené  on how she keeps her cool amidst the chaos that comes with being on the road and what's up next in 2017.

MERRY JANE: How do you make time for yourself when you’re traveling around on a tour bus full of people?

Jhené Aiko: I’m really good at tuning out everything around me and just getting in my zone. On the bus, I have the back sectioned off with a full bed. I just pop in my headphones and listen to an audio book.

MJ: What book are you listening to now?

JA: The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh.

MJ: That sounds relaxing!

JA: It’s very relaxing and keeps me calm and puts me in a good headspace.

 


(Photo: Felicia LaTour)

MJ: What are some of the other things you do to stay grounded on the go?

JA: Getting as much sleep as possible. I try to get seven hours a day. That doesn’t always happen in seven consecutive hours, I squeeze in a nap whenever I can. I also try to wake up early enough to work out or if I'm on tour, I’ll head over to the venue and run up and down the stairs.

MJ: Do you have a morning routine?

JA: Aside from working out, in the mornings, I like to take it easy, not a lot of activity. It’s better to wake up and not go straight to your phone but sometimes I still do, I’m working on it. I also have this superfood green powder, I have to have it every day or I don’t have any energy.

MJ: What’s the hardest part about being on the road?

JA: Being away from my daughter. You get homesick, and I’m a mother first. She’s in school now, but she was able to come out on the road for a few days which was really nice. She keeps me focused.  

MJ: You've quickly become a style icon, how would you describe your fashion sense?

JA: My fashion! (laughs)  It's a lot more random than you might think, it really is just me expressing myself that day. It’s constantly changing.

 

MJ: We loved your fashion on The High Road Tour and shared some of our favorite looks with our readers.

JA: Thank you! I’m always interested to hear how people define my style and to see that in it inspires them. When I’m performing, I usually go to a more comfortable easy breezy type of look, but for The High Road Tour we really experimented with colors and just made it so much fun!

MJ: Now that the tour has come to close what projects are you working on next?

JA: I’ve actually been working on a project for three years now, it’s what I would call a passion project that will be released in 2017. I can’t give out too many details yet, but it’s a compilation of all things I’m passionate about like poetry, and family, music, theatre.

 

 

MJ: You are one of the few R&B Singers out there who are open about being 420-friendly. When did you first get into the cannabis lifestyle?

JA: When I was younger I was a lot more into it. I was one of those teenagers who loved to be high. I’m a parent now, so there’s a time and a place for everything. I truly believe in the healing powers of marijuana, not just as a recreational thing but as true medicine.

MJ: What’s your favorite way to get high?

JA: I love edibles!