Willow Smith is just getting started. The musician and daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith is releasing new music in the wake of her first Grammy nomination and developing an understanding of her best skills as a musician. In a new interview, she’s opening up about the pressures of growing up famous, including the weight of the Smith last name.
In an interview with The New York Times, Willow discussed her new album, “The Thread.” She also discussed a topic that she’s forced to confront regularly, and that has dictated much of the conversation around her artistic life: her family.
As the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow has enjoyed many privileges and connections. But she also acknowledges the specific strain she’s grown up with.
“My desire to be diligent comes from me wanting to offer something to the world if I’m going to be in this position,” she said. “Obviously I have so much privilege in this family that I’ve been born into. That is something that I cannot ignore. But the psychological effect of being in that environment is also something that I can’t ignore. As time has gone on, I have just learned to be, like, two things can be true at the same time.”
© Kristy Sparow“There’s the privilege that I have being born into this family. And then the other thing is the psychological and emotional impact of being born in said family — being scrutinized and analyzed.”
Willow has been famous since she was a child, with her single “Whip My Hair” becoming a global hit when she was just 9 years old. It’s a position that few people occupy and that has determined much of her approach to making music.
“I have learned in the last couple years that practicing is really the only thing to be doing,” she said. “The technical relationship that I have with my instrument is just going to open up so many more doors than I ever thought was possible,” she said.
What fans can expect on this new album
© Julian HamiltonAt 25 years old, Willow is finding herself in the best place creatively, making the type of music she’s always wanted to make. “I feel like I’m just now getting to the point to where I actually really like and love the music that I’m creating,” she said.
“Before, I just felt like I was kind of stumbling in the dark,” she said. “And I still am. But now I’ve got a candle.”
Her new album, “The Thread,” comes out tomorrow, July 24th. It’s her second album of the year.
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