Willow review – youngest of the all star Smiths comes into her own

over 3 years in The guardian

Electric Ballroom, LondonWith her angsty, powerful vocals, the daughter of Will and Jada achieves her final form as an alt-rock starIn the four years since Willow Smith last performed live in the UK, the 21-year-old has been through multiple artistic transformations. On 2017’s The 1st, she was a raw singer-songwriter in the vein of Tracy Chapman or Fiona Apple; her eponymous 2019 album ventured into psychedelic soul. With this year’s pop-punk-influenced Lately I Feel Everything, it feels as though Willow has found her final form as a Black alt poster girl for Gen Z. (Her mum, Jada Pinkett Smith, previously fronted the nu metal band Wicked Wisdom.)Her angsty but powerful vocals are right at home in Camden’s sold-out home of rock. The show starts with a special guest, which turns out to be her older brother, Jaden. Perhaps spooked by the recent deaths at the Astroworld festival, he checks that the crowd have enough space and asks fans to cross their arms if they feel uncomfortable. Amid clouds of smoke, he performs his song Icon, then introduces his little sister. “Once upon a time Willow would go on stage and then I would go on stage,” he says. “But now the tide has turned.” Continue reading...

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