Jhené Aiko delivers two different viewpoints in the videos for her song, ‘Never Call Me.’
In the Asian version, Aiko plays Izanami no mikoto, a Shinto goddess who specializes in creation and death.
“I’m really big on drawing inspiration from the different cultures I’m mixed with,” Aiko, who is quarter Japanese, told Refinery29. “This is my interpretation of Izanami no mikoto.”
In the clip, the singer and songwriter has a funeral for EX, which is a metaphor for saying the relationship is dead and gone.
“The funeral is for a man I knew personally. A man who lost his way,” Aiko divulges. “A man who played the victim in a situation where he surely was not. A man who is a liar and cheater. A man who has lost his pride and integrity due to his deceptive ways and lack of understanding love. This funeral is the funeral for his ego. In this visual, I portray the goddess of creation and death, coming to collect his poor spirit and set it free.”
The second video, also called the Hood version, sees Aiko hanging out in her old stomping grounds of South Central, Los Angeles, but this time around she seems to be over her Ex while being in the company of friends. The clip features appearances from Nipsey Hu$$le, Lauren London, Dom Kennedy, Hit-Boy, Casey Veggies and more.
“I love where I’m from. I put on for my city as often as possible,” Jhene tells Billboard, regarding the choice in location for her “Never Call Me” video. “I visit my neighborhood as often as possible. I talk about my neighborhood a few times in the song, so I wanted to show people where I’m from and introduce my fans to the people I love… my family and the people I grew up with.”
“Never Call Me” is taken from Aiko’s latest sophomore album, Trip, released last September (2017). “I just love this song,” she says. “I have a lot of different layers to my personality and I love getting to express those layers through my visuals.”
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