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Willow Smith

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Willow Smith
Willow performing at the White House Easter Egg Roll in 2011
Born
Willow Camille Reign Smith

(2000-10-31) October 31, 2000 (age 24)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • dancer
Years active2007–present
Parent(s)Will Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith
FamilyJaden Smith (brother)
Musical career
InstrumentVocals
LabelsRoc Nation
Websitewww.willowsmith.com

Willow Camille Reign Smith (born October 31, 2000), known professionally as Willow, is an American teen singer, actress and dancer. She is the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, the younger sister of Jaden Smith and the half-sister of Willard Carroll "Trey" Smith III. Smith made her acting debut in 2007 in the film I Am Legend and later appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl alongside Abigail Breslin. She received a Young Artist Award for her performance.

Smith launched her music career in the autumn of 2010 with the release of the singles "Whip My Hair" and "21st Century Girl", and signed to her current mentor Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation, becoming the youngest artist signed to the label. "Whip My Hair" peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video was nominated for Video of the Year at the BET Awards of 2011.[2] She released her debut album, ARDIPITHECUS on 11 December 2015.

Early life

Smith was born October 31, 2000 in Los Angeles[3][4] the daughter of musician-actor Will Smith and actress-musician Jada Pinkett Smith. She has an older half-brother, Trey Smith and an older brother, Jaden Smith; who is also an actor and musician. Smith and her brothers are youth ambassadors for Project Zambi, which, in conjunction with Hasbro,[5][6] provides assistance for Zambian children orphaned by AIDS.

Career

2007–13: Acting and music endeavors

Smith made her acting debut in I Am Legend alongside her father.[7] Her next film, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl,[8] was released on July 2, 2008. In 2008, she voiced the character of young Gloria in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, alongside her mother as older Gloria.

In June 2010, Smith's mother Jada Pinkett Smith announced in an interview on Lopez Tonight that Smith would be releasing an album. Smith then released her first single, "Whip My Hair", which went platinum in the US and peaked at number 11. In the UK the single peaked at number two. Smith soon after announced her next single, "21st Century Girl". After she performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show, she released it the next day on February 3, 2011. The video was released March 9, 2011. On January 20, 2011, Will Smith announced he was planning to produce a remake of the famous comic strip Little Orphan Annie starring Smith in the title role. Jay-Z is also in talks to provide the music for the film and possibly create brand new songs.[9] However, Smith was considered too old and the title role was given to Quvenzhané Wallis in February 2013.[10]

On October 6, 2011, "Fireball", a collaboration between Smith and rapper Nicki Minaj, was released. "Fireball" was a commercial failure, failing to chart in any type of music market, except the US R&B chart, charting at 121. It was her first song to miss the Billboard Hot 100. Smith's producer announced that they were almost finished working on her debut album, and that it would be done soon. He also said it has a similar style to "Whip My Hair". The title of the album was later announced to be Knees and Elbows.[11] It was scheduled to be released around April 2012, but was later announced that it would be postponed for release later in the year. On May 1, 2012, she released a music video for "Do it Like Me (Rockstar)",[12] saying that it was her "first video ever".[12] On July 2, 2012, Smith released the "I Am Me" music video at the BET Awards. On July 17, she released her fourth single, "I Am Me" via iTunes and Amazon.

Knees and Elbows has still not been released and has most likely been abandoned and scrapped. In the summer of 2013, Smith and DJ Fabrega started a duo titled "Melodic Chaotic"."The Intro" was released as the first work, "Summer Fling" was released as the second work of the two on July 6, 2013. The music video was directed by Smith and Mike Vargas who previously directed her single "I Am Me". The song has been widely criticized for its mature tone, the use of the word "fling", and the fake British accent she incorporates.[13][14][15] On September 16, 2013, Smith performed "Summer Fling" on the series premiere of The Queen Latifah Show. During the performance, she said: "Just for clarity, the word fling means something that's short lived...And this song is dedicated to all the kids around the world whose summer is never long enough."[16]

2014–present: New image, 3 EP and ARDIPITHECUS

It was announced on October 24, 2014 by Smith and FADER that she would be releasing her debut EP titled "3" on October 31, 2014 for free via Google Play for limited time and November 10, 2014 but was later pushed to November 17, 2014 via iTunes. The same day, she held a concert in New York City at The FADER Fort where she performed select tracks from her new EP including "8" and 9 with SZA. She also performed "5" with her brother. "Summer Fling", and a new rendition of her famous hit, "Whip My Hair".

Smith released a new single titled "F Q-C #7" on May 7, 2015.[17] An accompanying music video was released the same day on Vevo.[18] After release, on September, a video to the track "Why Don't You Cry" on i-D,[19] Willow surprise-released her first album, ARDIPITHECUS, on December 11.[20] About her debut's title album, Willow said "Ardipithecus Ramidus is the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth. I wanted to name my musical compilation after it because, while I was making these songs I was in such a transitional state. Digging deep in the soil of my heart and finding bits and pieces of my ancient self that tell stories, which end up being the lyrics to the songs."[21]

Discography

Albums

Album Details
ARDIPITHECUS[22]

Extended Plays (EP)

Album Details
3

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[23] 		US R&B
[24] 		AUS
[25] 		AUT
[26] 		CAN
[27] 		DEN
[28] 		GER
[29] 		IRE
[30] 		NZ
[31] 		UK
[32]
"Whip My Hair" 2010 11 5 18 69 18 9 44 11 35 2 Non-album singles
"21st Century Girl" 2011 99 — — — — — — 36 — 91
"Fireball"
(featuring Nicki Minaj) 		— — — — — — — — — —
"I Am Me" 2012 — — — — — — — — — —
"F Q-C #7" 2015 — — — — — — — — — —
"Why Don't You Cry" — — — — — — — — — — ARDIPITHECUS
"F Q-C #8" — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.
List of singles as a featured artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Find You Somewhere"[37]
(Jaden Smith featuring AcE & Willow Smith) 		2012 The Cool Cafe: Cool Tape Vol. 1

Music videos

Year Title Director
2010 "Whip My Hair" Ray Kay
2011 "21st Century Girl" Rich Lee
"Fireball" Hype Williams
2012 "Do It Like Me (Rockstar)" Willow Smith
"I Am Me" Mike Vargas
"Find You Somewhere" (Jaden Smith featuring AcE & Willow Smith) Jada
2013 "Summer Fling" Willow Smith & Mike Vargas
2015 "F Q-C #7"
"Wit A Indigo" Ben Tan
"Why Don't You Cry" Mike Vargas

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2007 I Am Legend Marley Neville[38][39]
2008 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Countee Garby
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Baby Gloria Voice
2009 Merry Madagascar Abby Voice / TV movie
2009–10 True Jackson, VP Young True[40] 2 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Results
2008 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film (Young Actress Age Ten or Younger) I Am Legend Nominated
2009 Best Performance in a Feature Film (Young Ensemble Cast) Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Won
2010 Annie Award Voice Acting in a Television Production Merry Madagascar Nominated
2011 VirtuaMagazine Awards Best New Artist Herself Won
NAACP Image Award[41] Outstanding New Artist Herself Won
Outstanding Music Video "Whip My Hair" Nominated
BET Awards Video of the Year Nominated
Best New Artist Nominated
YoungStar Award Won (Tied with Jaden Smith)
2012 Herself Nominated
2014 VEVOCertifiedAwards 100,000,000 views "Whip My Hair" Won

References

  1. ^ Smith, Jaden (September 17, 2012). "Find You Somewhere - AcE featuring Jaden and Willow". Official Jaden's Channel. YouTube.
  2. ^ "Video of the Year". Black Entertainment Television (BET). Retrieved November 21, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Leone Shewfelt, Raechal (October 31, 2012). "Happy birthday, Willow Smith! 12 reasons why she's cooler than most of us". Us Weekly.
  4. ^ "Willow Smith Biography". Biography. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  5. ^ "Jaden and Willow Smith support Project Zambi". In Touch Weekly. October 7, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  6. ^ "Actors Jaden and Willow Smith Join Hasbro, Inc.'s Project Zambi as Youth Ambassadors". Project Zambi. October 7, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  7. ^ Orloff, Brian; Lazaruk, Lauren (December 2, 2007). "Will Smith: My Daughter Wants to Be Paris Hilton". People. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  8. ^ Smith, Krista (June 2010). "Rising Son: The New Karate Kid". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  9. ^ "Will Smith Planning 'Annie' Remake With Jay-Z". Screen Rant. January 20, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  10. ^ Rottenberg, Josh (February 24, 2013). "Beasts of the Southern Wild' breakout Quvenzhané Wallis to star in new big-screen 'Annie'". EW.com.
  11. ^ Moody, Nekesa Mumbi (December 8, 2011). "Willow Smith Talks New Album 'Knees and Elbows'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Cubria, Kaitlin (May 2, 2012). "Willow Smith Debuts Her First Ever Music Video for "Do It Like Me (Rockstar)"". Teen.com. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  13. ^ "Willow Smith's "Summer Fling" Video Is Full of Fake Accents, Dancing & Young Love—Watch Now!". de.eonline.com. July 8, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "Willow Smith and Her Fake Accent Have a Blast in 'Summer Fling' Video". jezebel.com. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  15. ^ "Willow Smith's New Music Video Proves Whipping Your Hair Is Out, Faking A British Accent Is In". crushable.com. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  16. ^ "Willow Smith Performs 'Summer Fling' on 'The Queen Latifah Show'". Rap-Up. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
  17. ^ "F Q-C # 7 - Single by Willow". Itunes.apple.com. 2015-05-07. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  18. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
  19. ^ "world premiere: watch willow smith's new video 'why don't you cry'". i-d.vice.com/. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
  20. ^ "ARDIPITHECUS by Willow". itunes.apple.com/. 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
  21. ^ "Willow Smith surprise-releases debut album 'Ardipithecus'". http://www.nme.com/. 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2015-12-11. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  22. ^ "ARDIPITHECUS". iTunes Store. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  23. ^ "Willow - Chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  24. ^ "Willow - Chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  25. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart: 29/11/2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  26. ^ Steffen Hung. "Willow – Whip My Hair". australian-charts.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  27. ^ "Nielsen Music: Canadian Update (November 5, 2010)". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  28. ^ Steffen Hung. "Willow – Whip My Hair". danishcharts.com. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  29. ^ musicline.de / PhonoNet GmbH. "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News et-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
  30. ^ "irishcharts.com – Discography Willow". irish-charts.com. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  31. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Willow Smith". charts.org.nz. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  32. ^ "Chart Stats – Willow Smith". chartstats.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  33. ^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – January 25, 2011". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  34. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 31, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
  35. ^ "British certifications – Willow – Whip My Hair". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 20, 2014. Type Whip My Hair in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  36. ^ "Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum – January 2011". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  37. ^ "Video: AcE f/ Jaden & Willow Smith – 'Find You Somewhere'". Rap-Up.com. September 17, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  38. ^ Howell, Peter (December 3, 2007). "Will Smith goes it alone". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  39. ^ Freydkin, Donna (December 11, 2007). "'Legend' premiere has that Smith family vibe". USA Today. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  40. ^ don't forget "testing true"! :). Ashley Argota, YouTube, a.k.a. ashargota (official YouTube channel). 1:42 minutes in. "Willow Smith, who is Will Smith's daughter, is going to be playing Young True."
  41. ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (March 7, 2011). "'21st Century Girl' Willow Smith wins new-artist NAACP Image Award". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
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