So if you’ve listened to ‘Eternal Sunshine’ on its own (via Aiko’s recent release “Souled Out”), you’ll already know how deep this song is.
But now Jhené Aiko has released the visuals to the single which not only matches the existing feels, it is also reveals the story behind the meaning of the song.
In summary: In 2012, Aiko’s brother Miyagi died of cancer, and, in 2013, she was in a car crash along with her daughter Namiko, sister Miyoko and Namiko’s father O’Ryan.
The ‘Eternal Sunshine’ video, directed by Jay Ahn, takes both of these stories and places them in the context of this song, showing a dramatic still shot of Jhené’s face as the background zooms out to reveal the aftermath of a crash interspersed with nostalgic childhood shots and clips that explain the crash we see.
So at first glance, what may have seemed like a simple feel-good piano ballad is full of devastating emotional depth. It’s a striking, moving, disarming video, and it affirms Aiko’s calm, spiritual approach to pretty much everything.
