Jhené Aiko is back with Westside Whimsy, her first album in six years and the follow-up to her 2020 album, Chilombo.
Released Friday via Def Jam, the 20-track project features contributions from Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Larry June, Tyga and OHMA. Kendrick joins Jhené on “So Good,” Ab-Soul is featured on “Love Bomb,” while Tyga and Larry June contribute to “Like, Whatever” and “Neighbors,” respectively. OHMA closes out the album on “Golden Coast.”
Production across the album is led largely by longtime collaborators Fisticuffs and Le, with additional production from Boi-1da, PartyNextDoor, Sounwave, MTech, Scott Bridgeway, Amaire Johnson, Jesse “Corparall” Wilson, Swam and OHMA. Boi-1da and PartyNextDoor produced “Mine,” while Sounwave, MTech and Scott Bridgeway contributed to Kendrick Lamar’s “So Good.”
Westside Whimsy also includes “Break,” which Jhené released ahead of the album. The project was six years in the making, according to the singer, who announced its release earlier this week before revealing the full tracklist Wednesday.
“6 years in the making 💙 Thank you for your patience 🙏🏼 ‘Westside Whimsy’ out THIS FRIDAY ✨,” she wrote on Instagram.
Jhené introduced the album with a trailer reflecting on the difficult period behind the project.
“…award because this year has been probably one of the hardest years of my life. Um, pretending to be perfect is perfectly fine for all the individuals who are perfectly fine and grew up with money and never fell on hard times. I have never had it easy and f*** you if you don’t believe me. And f****** for crying over spilled milk that I never planned on drinking. There’s a black hole in my soul. It’s beginning to show through my dialectic pupils behind lids half closed. I thought that I’d be fine by now. But suffering doesn’t die, it grows.”
ALBUM TRAILER — WESTSIDE WHIMSY
JHENE AIKO x dropping this friday! pic.twitter.com/7cbj8gZEMJ
— Jhene Aiko Daily | Fan Account (@JheneAccess) September 9, 2026
Jhené first teased Westside Whimsy earlier this year when she shared its artwork and title on Instagram Stories. She later posted footage from the studio that appeared to feature the same song she previewed following her July 2024 show at the Moody Center during The Magic Hour Tour.
The album arrives six years after Chilombo, which was released in March 2020. Since then, Jhené returned to the road for The Magic Hour Tour in 2024 and joined Chris Brown for the second half of his Breezy Bowl XX tour.
Westside Whimsy also reunites Jhené with Larry June following their recent collaboration. The pair sparked dating rumors after appearing together in the “California Dream” video in August and sharing similar posts on Instagram Stories, though neither has confirmed a relationship.
Westside Whimsy is out now.