Willow Smith, daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, is contributing to the ongoing discussion in Hollywood about 'nepo babies,' a term referring to individuals with famous parents who benefit from their connections.
The 23-year-old singer and actress made her acting debut at age 7 in her father's film "I Am Legend," and achieved platinum status at age 10 with her hit song "Whip My Hair."
In her cover story with Allure, discussing her upcoming sixth studio album "Empathogen," set to release on Friday, she confessed to feeling insecure about the term.
“I definitely think that a little bit of insecurity has driven me harder because people do think that the only reason I’m successful is because of my parents,” she shared.
“That has driven me to work really hard to try to prove them wrong. But nowadays, I don’t need to prove s**t to anybody,”
Willow emphasised her belief in her own strength of character, stating, “I truly believe that my spirit is a strong spirit and that, even if my parents weren’t who they were, I would still be a weirdo and a crazy thinker.”
Addressing her identity as a Black woman, Willow expressed that her race does not automatically qualify her as a 'nepo baby,' regardless of her parents' fame.
“Being Black in America, even with privilege, which I’m never going to deny that I have, you’re still Black,” she explained. "And I love being Black."
She also revealed that her early success with the hit song "Whip My Hair" left her feeling emotionally wounded, acknowledging, "I was totally scarred. But so many Black girls and women were inspired by that."
'It’s about people relating to you and you being someone that they can look at and be like, "I see you. We are inspiring each other,"' she added.
Smith's new album Empathogen debuts on May 3 and features the singles Symptom of Life and Big Feelings.
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