In case you weren't aware, Jhené Aiko and Big Sean are the cutest couple in music right now. Observe:
Also—have you seen their matching Halloween costumes?
The cutest.
On top of having their careers blow up individually—with five Grammy nominations between them to show for it—in 2016, Jhené and Big Sean took their IRL chemistry to the studio to release an album together as a duo called TWENTY88. Another collaboration is in the works for 2017, along with a solo project from Jhené that she says will be "more than music, more than poetry, more than anything I've ever done before."
While promoting her latest partnership with Belvedere and Noisey—a newly released video featuring herself and up-and-comer A.Chal talking about the landscape of R&B today—the singer let ELLE.com in on the pros and cons of working with your significant other. Here, five things to know about her and Big Sean's dynamic.
1. TWENTY88 is all about honesty.
"For me and Sean, it's about being able to come together and give the perspective of a man and a woman being very honest about relationships and love, and good times and bad times. And for both of us, it's a mesh, a blend of both of our sounds. So I would just say: Expect more of that [in 2017]. Probably digging in deeper to those topics."
2. They have totally different working styles.
"As for our dynamic in the studio, I would definitely say that Sean takes charge...I work on songs little by little, and he doesn't. He'll finish a whole song in one night. And so he'll be like, 'Okay, now do this part. Just write this verse real [quick].' It motivates me. I'm never mad at it because it does help me be more productive. It's always a good time, though, because we're always just being silly and making jokes."
3. They do butt heads on occasion.
"[When we disagree], I feel like I'm really good at shutting it down. If I don't like something, I'll just say no. Or, if Sean tries to suggest something, an opinion, without me asking, then I'll be like, 'No. I think it's fine.' So for me, I will ask if I want someone's opinion, but if I don't, I'll say, 'No, I didn't ask you.'"
4. They know how to separate the personal and the professional.
"As long as both people are professional, then none of the bad things that you would expect to happen, happen. If I disagree with something or I don't care for an opinion, I'm not thinking of it like, This is someone that I'm romantically [with], he's just a person that I'm working with right now. For me, it's easy to separate the personal from the business. That's the key. To not let any of that affect you when you're actually working."
5. They don't mind letting the public in on their relationship.
"We've been friends since, I guess, it's been five years maybe? I don't think anything has changed as far as our level of how we communicate with each other publicly. For the most part, I feel like we share our friendship."
During our conversation, we also had the opportunity to quiz Jhené about her party essentials. Here's the breakdown:
Her go-to drink: "Belvedere with cranberry and pineapple. It just feels tropical."
Her go-to party outfit: "A crop top with a little sliver of midsection and some wide-leg pants, a nice heel, a nice flowy duster or oversized jacket. Even if I'm going to the club, I always want something over my shoulders."
Her go-to party playlist: "It'd definitely be a lot of '90s R&B and hip hop. I would have to have Brandy's "I Wanna Be Down." I would have Tupac's "I Get Around." I would have to play Migos' "Bad and Boujee" or the partygoers would not let me DJ the party any longer. I would play Big Sean's "Bounce Back" and I would play 6LACK's "Ex Calling." And "Juicy" by Notorious B.I.G.
Her favorite party beauty look: "I love soft waves. It looks good from every angle, and even if you party a little too hard—it actually looks even better."
Inside her party clutch: "A small mirror, some LipSmart—my favorite lip balm, gum, my cellphone, my ID, Boscia green tea blotting papers."
Watch Jhené's video with Belvedere and Noisey here:
