Who is Willow Smith? Everything You Need to Know (2024)

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Willow Smith was born Willow Camille Reign Smith on October 31, 2000, in Los Angeles, California, USA, to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. She has two elder brothers, Trey Smith and Jaden Smith.

Born into a family of actors, Willow was exposed to showbiz right from the beginning. She often accompanied her parents to movie sets and witnessed filmmaking and acting from close quarters. Much like her elder brothers, she too followed in the footsteps of her parents and went on to pursue a career in the field of entertainment.

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Willow Smith was only seven when she made her acting debut in the blockbuster film ‘I Am Legend’ (2007), starring alongside her superstar father Will Smith. Despite being the daughter of Will Smith, Willow auditioned like anyone else and won the role on her own merit. She portrayed the role with utmost conviction and confidence.

After her successful debut, she landed a role in the 2008 film ‘Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.’ The film opened to positive reviews from both critics and audience. It also earned Willow Smith the ‘Young Artist Award’ for ‘Best Performance in Feature Film.’ The same year, she voiced the character of ‘Young Gloria’ in ‘Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.’

After having appeared in a couple of feature films, Smith tried her hand at television by playing a guest role in the ‘Nickelodeon’ series ‘True Jackson, VP.’ Though it was only a guest role, she loved working in the series. She was also under the impression that TV work is far more enjoyable as it allowed her to have fun while going about her work.

After establishing herself as an actress, she entered the music scene in 2010, much to the surprise of her parents and fans. She released her first R&B single ‘Whip My Hair,’ which went platinum in the US and peaked at number 11 on the ‘Billboard Hot 100.’ In the UK, the single peaked at number two.

In September 2010, Willow Smith joined the ‘Roc Nation’ family, signing to hip-hop legend Jay-Z’s record label. Interestingly, when Jay Z heard her voice, little did he know of her age or her parentage!

Following the successful reception of her debut single, she released her second single ‘21st Century Girl’ on February 3, 2011. A day before its release, Willow Smith performed the song on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ Its video was released on March 9, 2011.

Towards the end of 2011, she collaborated with rapper Nicki Minaj for ‘Fireball.’ The song did not perform well commercially. It failed to feature on music charts, with the US R&B chart being an exception where it peaked at number 121. This was Willow Smith’s first song that did not feature on ‘Billboard Hot 100.’

She announced the release of her debut album ‘Knees and Elbows’ in April 2012, but later postponed it to the end of the year. In the meantime, she released her first ever video ‘Do It Like Me (Rockstar)’ on May 1, 2012. Almost two months later, she released her next video ‘I Am Me’ at ‘BET Awards.’ Weeks later, she came up with her fourth single ‘I Am Me.’ ‘Knees and Elbows’ has not yet seen the light of day.

In summer 2013, Willow Smith and DJ Fabrega started a duo titled ‘Melodic Chaotic.’ Their first work together was titled ‘The Intro,’ which was closely followed by their second work ‘Summer Fling.’ ‘Summer Fling’ met with wide criticism for its mature tones and Smith’s fake English accent.

In 2014, Willow Smith announced that she would be releasing her debut EP ‘3’ on October 31, 2014. However, the release date was later pushed to November 17, 2014.

In May 2015, Willow Smith released a new single titled ‘F Q-C #7.’ Its music video was released on the same day on ‘Vevo.’ She followed it up with the release of her debut studio album ‘Ardipithecus’ on December 11. Interestingly, her debut album is based on the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth. Smith claims that she was in a transitional state in her life and most of her songs helped her connect with her ancient self!

She released her second album titled ‘The 1st' on October 31, 2017. The album was praised for its musical development. On July 19, 2019, she released her third album ‘Willow,’ which she co-produced along with Tyler Cole.

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Willow Smith’s entry into the world of entertainment was through acting. However, fame and recognition came her way when she tried her hand at singing. Her career reached new heights when she stormed into the music scene. Smith’s debut single ‘Whip My Hair’ went platinum in the US, peaking at number 11 on ‘Billboard Hot 100.’ In the UK, the single peaked at number two. Such was the success of her R&B single that critics and audience dubbed her young Rihanna in the making.

Willow Smith has been recognized for her work both as an actress and singer. Her first ever award was ‘Young Artist Award’ for ‘Best Ensemble Cast’ for her film ‘Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.’

In 2011, she won the ‘NAACP Award’ for ‘Outstanding New Artist.’ The same year, she won the ‘BET YoungStar Award’ for her single ‘Whip My Hair.’

In 2014, Smith received the ‘VEVO Certified Award’ when her debut single ‘Whip My Hair’ reached 100,000,000 views on ‘VEVO.’

She received the ‘New Fashion Icon’ award along with her brother Jaden Smith at the 2016 ‘Fashion Awards.’

Apart from being a talented actress and musician, Willow Smith is also an active philanthropist. Along with her brother Jaden, she serves as Youth Ambassador of Hasbro's ‘Project Zambi.’ In their role as ambassadors for the project, the brother-sister duo help raise awareness for children orphaned by the global AIDS epidemic by participating in fundraising and outreach campaigns.

Smith came out as bisexual in June 2019. She stated, "I love men and women equally." She also voiced her support for polyamorous relationships and her desire to be in one.

Willow Smith has an uncanny ability to mimic her father. She often imitates her father on how he pushes her to do her best in front of the camera.