Willow Smith

2010–2013: Whip My Hair and early releases

In 2010, Willow signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2010, becoming the label's youngest artist.^[5] She released her debut single, "Whip My Hair," later that year. The song became an international commercial success, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and number two in the United Kingdom's Official Charts. The song's accompanying music video was nominated for Video of the Year at the 11th BET Awards.^[28] She followed it with "21st Century Girl" in 2011. That year, she also released "Fireball", a collaboration with rapper Nicki Minaj. Her planned debut album, Knees and Elbows, was repeatedly delayed and ultimately unreleased.^[29] In 2013, Willow formed the duo Melodic Chaotic with DJ Fabrega. The pair released "The Intro" and "Summer Fling", the latter of which marked her departure from commercial pop music.^[30]

2014–2020: Experimental music and Ardipithecus, The 1st, and Willow

Willow increasingly moved away from mainstream pop during the mid-2010s, releasing music independently and experimenting with R&B and alternative influences. In 2014, she released her debut EP, 3, followed by singles including "F Q-C #7" in 2015.^[31] Her debut album, Ardipithecus, was released on December 11, 2015, through Roc Nation and Interscope Records.^[32] Willow explained that the album's title referred to the scientific name of early hominid fossils and reflected what she described as a period of personal and artistic transition.^[33] The album included the song "Wait a Minute!", which subsequently became a sleeper hit after going viral on TikTok in 2019 and again in 2022.^[34] The song was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA and reached the top 40 in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.^{[35][36][37][38]}

On October 31, 2017, Willow released her second album, The 1st, which drew heavy inspiration from 1990s R&B.^[39] She subsequently toured as a supporting act on Jhené Aiko's Trip tour alongside St. Beauty, Kodie Shane, and Kitty Cash.^[40] In 2019, Willow released her third album, Willow, which she co-produced with Tyler Cole, drawing from elements of dream pop and psychedelic soul.^[41] The pair subsequently released the collaborative album The Anxiety in 2020. The album produced the sleeper hit "Meet Me at Our Spot", which went viral on TikTok in 2021. The song reached number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Willow's highest-charting entry since "Whip My Hair" (2010) and her second top-40 hit on the chart.^[42] It also reached the top 10 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Later that year, Willow released R I S E, a six-track EP made in collaboration with British mantra singer and violinist Jahnavi Harrison.^[43]

2021–2022: Pop-punk and Lately I Feel Everything and Coping Mechanism

In 2021, Willow underwent a major musical shift toward pop-punk, drawing on the genre's history and its influence on her own musical upbringing.^[44][45] She released the single "Transparent Soul", featuring Travis Barker, in April, which was later certified platinum by the RIAA.^[46][47] She released her fourth album, Lately I Feel Everything, on July 16, 2021, featuring artists including Tierra Whack and Avril Lavigne.^[48] The album received widespread critical acclaim and appeared on numerous year-end "Best of 2021" lists, including those published by Billboard, NPR Music, The Independent, Dazed, Complex, Dork, Kerrang!, The Line of Best Fit, Okayplayer, and Good Morning America.^[49] Later that year, Time named Willow one of the 100 most influential people in the world, while Billboard named her its Comeback Artist of the Year as part of its Greatest Pop Stars of 2021 series.^[50][51] In 2022, Willow released her fifth album, Coping Mechanism, through Roc Nation.^[52] The album continued her exploration of pop-punk and heavier rock influences and received an aggregated score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, earning its "Universal Acclaim" classification.^[53] It was included on multiple year-end "Best of 2022" lists, including those published by Rolling Stone, Esquire, Alternative Press, Kerrang!, and Good Morning America.^[54] She performed the singles "Curious/Furious" and "Ur a Stranger" as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live in October 2022.^[55]

2023–present: Empathogen, Petal Rock Black, and The Thread

Willow's music subsequently moved away from the predominantly pop-punk sound of her previous two albums, incorporating elements of art pop, jazz fusion, funk, and other experimental styles.^[56][57] After departing from Roc Nation, Willow signed a multi-project deal with Three Six Zero and Gamma.^[58] She released the single "Symptom of Life" in March 2024 and announced her sixth album, Empathogen, the following month.^[59][60] Released on May 3, 2024, the album incorporated jazz, funk, Indian and experimental influences and marked a departure from the punk and metal influences of her previous work.^[61] Willow also performed on the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series in May 2024.^[62] A deluxe edition, Ceremonial Contrafact, was released on September 27, 2024, with three additional tracks.^[63] The album received two nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025: Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.^[64] On February 17, 2026, Willow released her seventh album, Petal Rock Black.^[65][66] The album continued her exploration of jazz and experimental music.^[56] On July 24, 2026, Willow released her eighth album, The Thread.^[67] She described the album as "devotional", and it explores themes of spirituality and the divine feminine. The album continued Willow's synthesis of punk, jazz, R&B, and experimental music, with critics praising its experimentation, vocal performances, and greater musical cohesion.^[68]