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At 21 years old, Willow Smith has not only been brought up in celebrity culture but also come to navigate it on her own terms.
She may be the offspring to two of Hollywood’s biggest stars in the likes of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, but Willow Smith is carving space for herself all on her own terms. Not only to rely on circumstances alone, she’s worked tirelessly on her craft and as any fans can attest, her music is distinctly her own: raw and vulnerable, with a voice both powerful and laced with emotion. It’s made the 21-year-old a star in her own right and while she may be used to the trappings of fame given the environment in which she was raised, it’s still presented challenges for her to navigate.
Willow was just seven-years-old when she first made her big screen debut, appearing alongside her father in 2007’s I Am Legend. Just three years later, at the tender age of 10, she released her first single, Whip My Hair, which cemented her place in the music industry. In a recent interview with Glamour, Willow described the confidence she had as a young teen, “I was definitely fearless back in the day.”
In recent years though, while that confidence certainly remains, it has evolved somewhat. As Willow explains, “I think a little bit more about things before I do them now, which is a good thing. I feel like I’m forever evolving and trying to find the most authentic version of myself. I think that’s a lifelong thing.”
While Willow came to be known for her long braids that came to be such an integral part of her first single, she says that shaving her head was an act of rebellion after she took the clippers to her own head on a whim. Describing it as the “most radical thing I’ve done in the name of beauty,” the look is now her style of choice. “As a Black woman there were a lot of layers to my relationship with my hair and skin growing up; it was definitely a learning curve,” says Willow.
“However I’m feeling, I like to do that. I don’t really like to think about it too much. I love to be free with it. I think just being me sometimes is radical.”
willow smith
Having grown up in a society with narrow definitions of beauty and gendered ideals, Willow expressed the importance of having strong, female role models around you. “I had to look up to other beautiful Black women. Just looking at someone who’s like me, living their truth and doesn’t let what society says tear them down. I think that was the most important [influence] for me as a child.”
If Willow is known for speaking her truth, it’s also reflected in her music. The success of 2021’s Lately I Feel Everything was owed to songs that were wholly relatable to her fans, songs that saw them connect to the singer’s own experiences and struggles. Willow has long been open about her struggles with mental health and anxiety, often taking to social media to share advice for her fans on how they can address symptoms. “Sometimes [managing your mental health] is so overwhelming that you can’t really bring yourself to do much else besides reminding yourself of the things that really matter,” she says.
“For me, I love a good mantra. Recently, my mantra has been, ‘I accept everything as it is, and I’m grateful for it.’ Repeating that over and over again; that’s been really helping me.”
willow smith
It’s also something she hopes to encourage others to feel confident in sharing and expressing, and now uses her music as a vehicle to do so. “I you don’t talk about it, I don’t know how the healing’s going to start. Even if it’s to yourself in the mirror, you know? I do it all the time.”
As Willow explains, “I’ll literally talk to myself like I’m my best friend. And then be like, OK, what would my friend say to me right now? What would someone who really, really loves me say to me? It kind of feels unnatural because our own minds are so harsh sometimes.”
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