Mila J
Jamila Akiko Aba Chilombo (born November 18, 1982),[3] known as Mila J, is an American singer, rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is the older sister of R&B singer Jhené Aiko and is known for being in Prince's video for "Diamonds and Pearls" and appearing on tracks by RaRa, IMx, Trey Songz and Omarion. She released several singles in 2006–2009 under the name "Mila J" and then went on a hiatus for a number of years after the shelving of her original debut studio album, Split Personality, before returning as "Japollonia" in 2012 and then reverting to Mila J a year later.
Mila J
Jamila Akiko Aba Chilombo[1]
- Heika
- Japollonia
- Karate ChopHer
November 18, 1982
Los Angeles, California, U.S.[2]
- Singer
- rapper
- songwriter
- dancer
1991–present
- Motown
- Universal Motown
- November Reign
- Silent Partner
- TUG
She was signed to Motown from 2013 to 2017 and released two EPs, Made in L.A. (2014) and 213 (2016) while signed to them. In 2017, she released her official debut album, Dopamine. Mila is now an independent artist.
Early life[edit]
Jamila was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Christina Yamamoto,[1] an art teacher[4] and Dr. Karamo Chilombo (born Gregory Wycliff Barnes), a musician and pediatrician.[4] Her parents later divorced.[5] Her younger sister is singer Jhené Aiko.[6][7]
Career[edit]
Career beginnings[edit]
In the start of her career, Mila J joined an up-and-coming dance group, bringing her to the attention of Chris Stokes. Through Stokes, Mila auditioned for and starred as a dancer in Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls" video, released in 1991. Stokes had begun managing Jamila and her sister Miyoko and eventually led them to form the American R&B group Gyrl. The group began touring with R&B group Immature, which at the time was signed to MCA/Silas Records.
Gyrl's members were Jamila, Miyoko and Paulette Maxwell. While they were backup dancers for Immature, the group's name was Innocence. As backup dancers, they appeared in music videos such as "Da Munchies", "Constantly", the remix to "Constantly", and "I Don't Mind". In 1995, Silas Records has released Gyrl's official debut single, "Play Another Slow Jam". The song peaked at number 74 on the US Hot R&B Singles,[8] staying on the chart for over six weeks, but did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. After the release of their debut single, Paulette left the group.[9] In 1997, Glorika "Jeanae'" Briley and Tai-Amber Hoo later joined Gyrl, and released the single "Get Your Groove On", featured in the movie B*A*P*S. This single peaked at number 91 on the US Billboard Hot 100[10] and number 30 on the US Hot R&B Singles chart,[8] staying on the chart for over 14 weeks, becoming their highest chart appearance at that time. After that, the group disbanded.[9]
In 2005, Mila was a member of another girl group, Dame Four, with Tomasina Parrot, Tennille Mathis and Mercedes Nelson, who released the single "How We Roll". Dame Four split up soon thereafter.
In the early 2000s Mila took a hiatus from the music industry, saying that due to having been in a variety of girl groups, she did not know who she was as an artist. During her hiatus, Mila said, "I definitely think I was able to really figure out who I was as a solo artist and what I wanted to talk about, what I wanted to address—be myself, basically. It was a break because I was in the industry for a minute."[11]
Influences[edit]
Mila has cited Janet Jackson as her main inspiration. "I just love how she entertains", Mila said of Jackson. "You go to her shows, she's gon' have a million dancers—lights, camera, action. It was just cool to see a female dancing and singing."[17] Mýa, Brandy, Prince and TLC[23] are also huge inspirations to Mila.[24]