Willow Smith knew the music world well before entering it. After all, her parents are Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, the latter being the lead vocalist in the nu metal band Wicked Wisdom. Watching her mother also taught her a lot about being a Black woman in the music industry. During a recent cover story for L’Officiel, Willow spoke about Jada’s unfortunate experiences.
“My mom got so much hate,” Willow said. “It was intense racism and sexism, just packed on to the tens. People giving her death threats, throwing glass at her onstage. Some crazy stuff went down when she was touring with her band.” Willow then shared how Jada’s experience turned into a teaching moment for her. “Obviously, she was scared,” she said. “But she really showed me what ‘womaning up’ really was, by taking a stance and not being afraid of other people’s judgments and perceptions. I really wanted to just go within that place in myself and try something new, regardless of what my insecurities were.”
Her comments come after Willow shared her latest single “Lipstick,” and announced her upcoming album Lately I Feel Everything.
You can read the full profile on L’Officiel here.
Lately I Feel Everything is out 7/16 via MSFTSMusic/Roc Nation. Pre-order it here.
