Willow Smith Used Meditation and Workouts to Fuel Her Creativity "Empathogenic"

Willow Smith’s “bigfeelings” is the latest song from her new album, “empathogen.” And, according to Smith, it’s “the most complex piece of music I’ve created in my entire career.”

“I hope it won’t be the last, certainly not the last,” she adds. “But this one is really great.”

The entire record – the 24-year-old’s sixth solo studio album – represents a sonic departure. Before its May 3 release, Smith was a little nervous about releasing it to the world. But above all, she was full of energy.

“This album as a whole is different from anything I’ve done and I’m so excited for people to hear it,” she says. “You always take a little risk, but I take risks, what can I say?”

Indeed, Smith has made a name for himself throughout his career by crossing genres and pushing the boundaries of his art. And she’s never shied away from being open and honest about how she chooses to live her life outside of music. That philosophy is fully reflected in this latest album, she says.

“I think I’m at a point in my life right now where I realize that there is no destination, there are just choices that we make every day that guide us through our life. I want to make a decision every day to be more compassionate, to be more honest, to practice my instrument with a deep presence and to treat it as a spiritual experience,” adds Smith. “This album is an expression of my understanding.”

Even the album cover embodies this approach: on the cover, Smith is shown smiling intently, her afro and grillz standing out against an earth-colored background. In another shot, she is literally undressed. All of this evokes this honesty, this entry into oneself. Smith says it was important to be present in her own body throughout the creation of the album. Even if it wasn’t a traditional, eyes-closed meditation, she would just “tune in from time to time.”

“For example, can I feel my feet, can I feel my fingers, am I being captured by the way my heart feels right now, am I being taken advantage of by my emotional state right now, at instead of just being on autopilot,” she explains.

It would be difficult for Smith to be on autopilot right now, given everything going on in his life. Just days after her album’s release, she released her first novel, “Black Shield Maiden,” which she co-wrote with Jess Hendel. She is also a global ambassador for LG and its Life’s Good campaign, a partnership she said was “super on the nose” given her and the brand’s commitment to high-quality sound.

Amidst all the moving parts, physical presence and mindfulness not only fuel one’s creative process; they also help him relax.

“Weirdly, if I work out, it kind of counteracts the mental and emotional fatigue. It gives me energy. I know people say that, I know there are studies on it. But the last thing you want to do after working out.”I worked all day, it’s sports,” she says.

Her favorite workouts at the moment are hot yoga and “Pilates kicks my ass too,” she laughs. She also loves running and often listens to podcasts while doing so. Right now, she’s interested in “The Ancients” (she recently listened to an episode on ancient Polynesian navigation techniques) and the science podcast “Ologies with Alie Ward.”

It is very clear that Smith loves to learn. She’s almost finished reading “The Dawn of Everything” by David Graeber and David Wengrow, a nonfiction book that examines how society came to be. “Honestly, I can’t even really explain it that well because it’s deeply complex and I’m still trying to understand it, but it really made me cook noodles,” she jokes.

Drawing inspiration from these other forms of media brings us back to his approach. It’s about drawing inspiration from the possibilities offered by other fields. Smith says she loves walking around museums alone, for example, just admiring “all the cool shit.” And by releasing this album into the world, she keeps that loop of inspiration going.

“I’m just interested to see what people get out of this art that I’ve created, and I hope it’s a cathartic experience,” she says. It also comes down to “big feelings”: “I just want to continue to help people be inspired and feel less alone. »

Lena Felton is Senior Director of Features and Special Content at POPSUGAR, where she oversees reporting, special projects, and our identity content. Previously, she was an editor at the Washington Post, where she led a team covering gender and identity issues.