You may know her from the success of her family, but there’s no denying Willow Smith A.K.A. “WILLOW” is making a name for herself within the music industry. With many of her songs making the rounds on the viral TikTok bandwagon, her unique sound best described as a mix of indie/rock has her fanbase growing and subsequently giving her over 24 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
While her songs alone are working their way up the charts, WILLOW has also managed to create a growing list of collaborations with successful artists that have boosted her popularity and highlighted the range she has when it comes to music genres. Fans have described her as the “queen of collaboration” as she is able to give something different to each song that she features. Let us dive into some of the top collabs that WILLOW has had so far.
‘Psychofreak’ – Camila Cabello ft. WILLOW
One of the most recent collabs comes from Camila Cabello’s newly released album Familia. While it wasn’t exactly a duo many were expecting, it certainly was a hit we didn’t know we needed. The catchy track shows WILLIOW’s ability to blend into any song and genre. Along with Cabello’s usual pop style, WILLOW added her rock flair to the track with amazing vocals as described by her and Cabello’s many fans. WILLOW sings the pre-chorus of the song where the lyrics discuss the effects of anxiety and how it can impact relationships, her dramatic vocals make a fitting addition to the track and I’m sure fans of both artists are hoping there will be some more collabs between the two in the not-too-distant future.
‘Where you are’ – PinkPantheress ft. WILLOW
From pop hits to alternative dance – there’s no denying WILLOW has range. This collab with newly established English singer-songwriter PinkPantheress is a testament to that as WILLOW shows how her vocals can effortlessly fit into any music genre. PinkPantheress first rose to fame by posting several of her songs on TikTok that subsequently went viral. This track has an upbeat dance style that gives an early 2000s vibe with its fast pop beats and catchy melodies. The positive reception from both sets of fans shows there is demand for more collabs in the future from this up-and-coming duo.
’emo girl’ – Machine Gun Kelly ft. WILLOW
This collab with rapper and singer Machine Gun Kelly gives us major emo-rock vibes from the early 2000s. The rock style is paired with an upbeat pop tune which creates a similar vibe to older punk-rock bands such as Good Charlotte and Blink-182. WILLOW shows off her genre range yet again as she belts out tunes that could be compared with the style of Paramore’s lead singer Hayley Williams. Although the track didn’t have the best reception from fans who criticised the simplistic lyrics, WILLIOW’s addition was noted as having a positive impact on the song with her strong vocals and energy.
‘Transparentsoul’ – WILLOW ft. Travis Barker
This catchy hit by WILLOW featuring Travis Barker is another track that gives us major Paramore vibes. It throws us back yet again to the early-mid 2000s when the band were dominating the rock charts. Travis Barker brings his own rock flair to the track which is no surprise given his music career stems from being the drummer in the iconic rock band Blink-182. The track is just one of many rock hits that WILLOW ventures into, with her desire to enter the rock genre coming from when she was a child. WILLOW explains in an interview with W magazine, “I always wanted to do a metal album because my mom was my inspiration as a child. I went on tour with her when I was 7 or 8, when she performed at Ozzfest with her band, Wicked Wisdom.” WILLOW admits she was initially worried about Barker’s reaction to her vision saying, “I was shaking in the studio, worried about whether he would think it was lame.” However, it turned out Barker loved the track as did fans with it now being one of WILLOW’s top songs on Spotify.
‘Grow’ – WILLOW + Avril Lavigne ft. Travis Barker
As WILLOW embarks on her journey through the pop-punk era, there’s no one more suitable she could have collaborated with than the pop-punk queen herself Avril Lavigne. What makes this collab even better is the fact that Avril Lavigne is one of WILLOW’s heroes from her younger days. WILLOW describes the direction of the song she wanted to take – “I wanted “Grow” to sound like it was on Radio Disney in 2007, so I hit up Avril Lavigne; I wanted that 2007 Avril angst. When I heard what she did with what I sent her, I felt like I was transported back to my tween days, in the car, just screaming, “I don’t have to try to make you realize!” It was beyond any joy that I could have imagined.” We certainly can’t think of anyone better to collab with to get that punk-rock teenage angsty vibe.
‘Meet Me At Our Spot’ – THE ANXIETY, WILLOW, Tyler Cole
The final and arguably most popular collab worth mentioning is with Tyler Cole for their track ‘Meet Me At Our Spot.’ The alternative indie hit first rose to popularity as it made the rounds on TikTok. The chorus of the track had thousands of TikTokkers creating an over-exaggerated dance to the lyrics however, despite the humorous side to the trend, the song had everyone hooked with its catchy beat. Although the song has an upbeat vibe to it, the meaning behind the track describes how the artists endure issues with their mental health. WILLOW and Tyler Cole start off their verses by recounting crippling insomnia they endure when they are on their own. But when the two “meet up at our spot,” they catch a vibe, relax, and their anxiety disappears. Both Cole and WILLOW named themselves “THE ANXIETY” as they wanted to “advocate for mental health awareness and help those who specifically suffer from anxiety.”
She may be described as the “queen of collaboration”, but the talented singer can undoubtedly hold her own. She has proved that she can easily fit herself into any genre from her quirky pop hit “Whip My Hair” to her more recent indie vibe “Wait a Minute!” WILLOW is a force to be reckoned with and we can’t wait to see what style of music she takes on next.
Liked this article? Sign up to our UMUSIC newsletter to hear more from us!
