kids encyclopedia robot

Willow Smith facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Willow Smith
Willow Smith Black Shield Maiden 2024.png
Smith in 2024
Born (2000-10-31) October 31, 2000 (age 24)
Occupation
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active 2007–present
Works
Parents
Relatives Jaden Smith (brother)
Musical career
Genres
Labels

Willow Smith (born October 31, 2000), also known simply as Willow, is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of famous actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Willow has won many awards, including a Young Artist Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a BET Award. She has also been nominated for a Grammy Award.

Willow was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. She started acting in 2007 in the movie I Am Legend with her father. Later, she appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. In 2010, she began her music career with the song "Whip My Hair". This song became very popular, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Before that, Willow signed with Jay-Z's record label, Roc Nation, becoming their youngest artist.

Her first album, Ardipithecus (2015), explored a style called neo soul. It included the song "Wait a Minute!", which became very successful. Her next albums, The 1st (2017) and Willow (2019), were also well-received. In 2021, her fourth album, Lately I Feel Everything, was her first to appear on the Billboard 200 chart. It featured the popular song "Transparent Soul". Later that year, her song "Meet Me at Our Spot", which she released with Tyler Cole as the duo The Anxiety, also became a top hit. Her fifth album, Coping Mechanism (2022), was her last with Roc Nation. She then signed with gamma. for her sixth album, Empathogen (2024).

Since 2018, Willow has co-hosted the talk show Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch. She hosts it with her mother, Jada, and her grandmother, Adrienne. The show has been nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards.

Early Life and Family

Willow Smith was born on October 31, 2000, in Los Angeles, California. Her parents are the famous actress and musician Jada Pinkett Smith and actor and musician Will Smith. She has two older brothers. Her brother Jaden Smith is also an actor and musician. Her half-brother is Willard Carroll "Trey" Smith III, an actor and DJ.

Willow and her siblings are youth ambassadors for Project Zambi. This project works with Hasbro to help children in Zambia who have lost their parents due to AIDS. Willow attended Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles.

Music and Acting Career

Early Acting Roles (2007–2009)

Willow started her acting career in 2007. She appeared in the movie I Am Legend alongside her father. Her next movie, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, came out in July 2008. In the same year, she lent her voice to the character of young Gloria the hippo in the animated movie Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Her mother also voiced the adult Gloria.

Music Breakthrough (2010–2013)

In June 2009, Willow's mother announced that Willow would be releasing a music album. Willow then released her first song, "Whip My Hair". This song became very popular, selling over a million copies in the US. It reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and number two in the UK. The music video for "Whip My Hair" was nominated for Video of the Year at the BET Awards of 2011.

After this success, Willow released her next song, "21st Century Girl". She performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show before its release. In January 2011, her father, Will Smith, announced plans for a new movie version of the musical Annie starring Willow. However, Willow later became too old for the role, and it went to another actress.

In October 2011, Willow released "Fireball," a song with rapper Nicki Minaj. Willow's producer said that her first album, titled Knees and Elbows, was almost finished. It was planned for release in April 2012 but was delayed. In May 2012, she released a music video for "Do it Like Me (Rockstar)". In July 2012, she released the music video for "I Am Me" at the BET Awards.

In summer 2013, Willow formed a music duo called "Melodic Chaotic" with DJ Fabrega. They released songs like "The Intro" and "Summer Fling."

New Music and Albums (2014–2018)

On October 24, 2014, Willow announced her first collection of songs, called an EP, titled "3". It was released for free on Google Play and later on iTunes. She also performed songs from her new EP at a concert in New York City.

Willow released the song "F Q-C #7" in May 2015, along with a music video. In December, she released her first full album, Ardipithecus. Willow explained that she named the album after early human bones because she was in a "transitional state" while making the songs. She felt like she was finding parts of her "ancient self" that became the lyrics.

On her birthday in October 2017, she released her second album, The 1st. This album was praised for its musical growth and Willow's ability to create music inspired by 1990s R&B artists. She toured to support the album with other artists.

In 2018, Willow started hosting Red Table Talk with her mother and grandmother. This web talk show earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination.

Collaborations and Pop-Punk (2019–2021)

In June 2019, Willow announced her third album, Willow. It was released in July 2019 and was produced by herself and Tyler Cole. Willow and Tyler later released a joint album called The Anxiety in 2020.

In April 2021, Willow released "Transparent Soul" featuring Travis Barker. This song was a pop-punk track, showing her new interest in that music style. She released her fourth album, Lately I Feel Everything, in July. It included guest artists like Tierra Whack and Avril Lavigne. Later in 2021, "Meet Me at Our Spot" from The Anxiety album became a big hit, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2021, Time magazine named Willow one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She also won Entertainer of the Year for her work on Red Table Talk at the EBONY Power 100 awards. Billboard magazine also named her the 'Comeback Artist of the Year'. Willow was also included in the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Recent Projects (2022–Present)

In February 2022, Willow was scheduled to join Billie Eilish on her "Happier Than Ever, The World Tour" but had to cancel due to production issues. On April 8, 2022, Willow was featured on Camila Cabello's song "Psychofreak" from Camila's album Familia. They also performed the song live on Saturday Night Live.

Willow's fifth album, Coping Mechanism, was released on October 7, 2022. It was her last album with Roc Nation. In June 2022, she released "Maybe It's My Fault" as the first song from this album. She later released "Hover Like a Goddess" the following month. In October 2022, Willow performed on Saturday Night Live for the first time as a musical guest. She sang "Curious/Furious" and "Ur a Stranger."

Her first song since Coping Mechanism, called "Alone", came out in November 2023. She then released "Symptom of Life" in March 2024, followed by "Big Feelings" in April. On the same day "Big Feelings" was released, Willow announced her sixth album, Empathogen, which came out on May 4, 2024.

Discography

  • Ardipithecus (2015)
  • The 1st (2017)
  • Willow (2019)
  • Lately I Feel Everything (2021)
  • Coping Mechanism (2022)
  • Empathogen (2024)

Collaborative albums

  • The Anxiety (2020) (with Tyler Cole)

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2007 I Am Legend Marley Neville
2008 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Countee Garby
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Baby Gloria (voice)
2009 Merry Madagascar Abby (voice) TV movie
2009–2010 True Jackson, VP Young True 2 episodes
2017 Neo Yokio Helenist (voice) Episode: "O, the Helenists"
2018 Adventure Time Beth the Pup Princess (voice) Episode: "Come Along with Me"
2018–2023 Red Table Talk Herself Co-host; 37 episodes
2021 A Man Named Scott Herself
2022 We Baby Bears Unica (voice) Recurring: Season 1 and 2
Saturday Night Live Herself; musical guest 2 episodes: "Jake Gyllenhaal/Camila Cabello", "Brendan Gleeson/Willow"

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Results Ref.
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 Outstanding New Artist Won
Outstanding Music Video "Whip My Hair" Nominated
O Music Awards Most Viral Video Won
BET Awards Video of the Year Nominated
Best New Artist Nominated
YoungStar Award Herself (tied with Jaden Smith) Won
2012 Herself Nominated
MP3 Music Awards The BTM Award "Fireball" (featuring Nicki Minaj) Nominated
2013 "I Am Me" Won
2014 VEVOCertifiedAwards 100,000,000 views "Whip My Hair" Won
2016 The 2016 Fashion Awards New Fashion Icons Herself (tied with Jaden Smith) Won
2020 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host Red Table Talk Nominated
Queerty Awards Closet Door Bustdown Herself Nominated
2021 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host Red Table Talk Nominated
British LGBT Awards Celebrity Herself Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards Best Alternative Video "Transparent Soul" (featuring Travis Barker) Nominated
MTV Europe Music Awards Best Alternative "Transparent Soul" (featuring Travis Barker) Nominated
2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards Best New Alternative Artist Herself Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards Best Alternative Video "Emo Girl" Nominated
"Grow" Nominated
2025 Grammy Awards Best Arrangement, Instrumental, and Vocals “Big Feelings” Pending
Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical “Empathogen” Pending

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Willow Smith para niños

kids search engine
Willow Smith Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.