Jhené Aiko Reveals The Most Unexpected Reaction Big Sean Had After Hearing Her 'Triggered' Song
Proudly walking in their newly rekindled love story, R&B songbird Jhené Aiko and Detroit MC Big Sean has one of hip-hop’s best “bounce back” love stories of our time.
Back in 2019, Aiko pulled heartstrings when she bared her soul in the deeply-vulnerable “Triggered (Freestyle).” Her vocals rang with frustrations, sorrow, and anger toward an ex-beau, and fans believed that the lyrics could be aimed at none other than the Sean Don.
In a recent interview with Essence, Jhene revealed that the fans were somewhat correct in putting their two and two together about her breakup with Sean as inspiration for the hit, but the track wasn’t all about him. She also disclosed his first reaction upon hearing it.
“He was just like, ‘Wow, I’m not your friend.,’” she said. “I was like, ‘Well, I was feeling that at the moment. This is just a song. This is not 100 percent about you.’”
Jhené later mentioned that she felt confident enough in their friendship to share the single with him as well. “We have a personal relationship, and a true friendship, that’s why I could play it for him,” she said. The Chilombo singer added that though she “went really hard” in the lyricism, she informed Sean that it wasn’t a personal letter for him.
Additionally, she acknowledged that her lyrics were rooted in the emotions she was purging at the time, which is something she adores about the art of song.
“Those are the things that I may feel, and I know that they are irrational and coming from just an angry emotional place,” she said. “That’s what’s so beautiful about art is that you can just throw paint on a blank canvas, and do something crazy and that’s your release.”
