Jhené Aiko has stepped behind the camera to direct a new music video for her song “Break.” Late last week, the singer released a surreal visual to accompany the fan favorite song from her recent album Westside Whimsy. The clip, set in a picturesque Northern California environment, follows Aiko as she encounters a glowing spirit who appears to have crashed a UFO nearby. Eventually, she finds her way back to San Francisco, where she hits a mix of classic landmarks and more obscure favorite spots.
“Break” is just the latest Westside Whimsy track to get a visual. Aiko previously shared clips for “Ark to Agartha,” which arrived alongside the album, as well as “Ghost” and “Wild Cat(s).” In September she followed with “Nothing Nice to Say,” a stripped-down video shot by Topshelf Junior. In it, she performed against a minimal background clad in diamond necklaces that spelled out “Westside” and “Whimsy.”
Westside Whimsy arrived just over a month ago, on September 11. It marks Aiko’s first full-length album since 2020’s Chilombo. Although she only properly announced the project days before it dropped, she teased the title back in January in true California fashion: with an Erewhon smoothie collaboration. Fittingly, the album celebrates her upbringing in Los Angeles and the West Coast’s influence on her sound and spirit. Kendrick Lamar reunites with Aiko on “So Good,” and the project also features Tyga, Larry June, Ab-Soul and OHMA in guest slots.
The record is steeped in California imagery, from road trips to surf culture to the unmistakable shot of the Golden Gate bridge in the “Break” video. Aiko told Complex in April that she sees California as “such a magical place,” and she has described the album as more than just another album in her expansive catalog. “‘Westside Whimsy’ is a lifestyle,” she told Rolling Stone. “It’s not a project.”
Listen to “Break” here.
