Willow Smith Goes Ballad

At just 11 years old, Willow Smith is making a name for herself by taking bigger career chances than most individuals in the industry old enough to be her parents. The tiny star wowed the audience at the 2012 BET Awards Sunday night with her new song and music video, “I Am Me.”

The new song is a far cry from the catchy pop singles “Whip My Hair” and “21^st Century Girl,”which put Willow’s name on the music map in 2010. “I Am Me” is not a song for gyrating around on the dance floor; it is a simple ballad with an important message. The repeating chorus is simply, “I’m free, and that’s all I can be/I’m free, and you can’t stop me.”

As a mature pre-teen, Willow has successfully captured the feelings of typical teenager. Through lyrics like “Express myself cause it’s my liberty/I’ve been lookin’” address Willow’s exploration with different identities as she is growing up and coming into her own. 

She also sticks it to those who have judged her negatively for some of her fashion choices as of late when she belts out, “Your validation is just not that important to me.”

She continues displaying her unique fashion style in the music video, sporting skinny jeans accentuating her extremely tiny legs and a giant yellow button-up shirt with polka dots. A bowler hat covers her bald head most of the video. Honestly, the look is very “early ’90s” and she looks a lot like her famous daddy, Will Smith, from his Fresh Prince days. The pre-teen’s steadfastness and confidence with her own decisions and experiments with her style are primarily what make her a great role model for young girls.

“Be you/Do what you do/Hold your head up high/Everything’s gonna be alright. You’re you/ and I’m me/ Let’s live in harmony/Co-exist with each other/Love each other/ Be yourself,” she sings.

Willow has taken some hits from the media in the past year for opting to shave her head and dye what little grew back green, then pink. Most recently, she posted a picture on twitter of her tongue pierced, which caused a large reaction from fans.

One sign of a great musician with staying power is the ability to adapt their sound and focus as they age and go in different directions, while keeping their audience interested and encouraging new people to give them a chance. Willow is certainly demonstrating that she can grow musically and is willing to take chances and reach new audiences. Her latest song has won me over.