Black girls rock.
Over a decade since releasing her breakout hit “Whip My Hair,” Willow Smith has come into her own. Now 20 years old, she explores pop-punk with her latest album lately I feel EVERYTHING.
Although some may be surprised by her turn to pop-punk, Willow has been exposed to the genre since she was young. “This isn’t new for me. I have been doing this for a very long time,” she told EW, noting that her mother Jada Pinkett Smith was in the nü-metal band Wicked Wisdom. “I just think maybe people didn’t pay attention to that side of my music-making, but that’s always been an inspiration for me. I’ve always loved rock, and I’ve always had rock inspiration on every single one of my albums.”
The 11-track album features appearances from Tierra Whack, Travis Barker, and Avril Lavigne, who guests on “Grow.” “Travis and Avril know pop-punk more than anyone,” Willow told The Face. ”To see them be so proficient in their art was just so inspiring.”
And this is only the start of her musical evolution. “I definitely felt like pop-punk spoke to my youthful soul and metal kind of spoke to the woman within me,” she added. “I’m planning on doing a metal album in the future, but I need to hit that pop-punk steez first.”
Stream lately I feel EVERYTHING below.
