This week on the Thursday night X Factor elimination show, there will be some big acts to watch! Willow Smith is set to perform her latest single, “Fireball” featuring Nikki Minaj. the single was released only about a week and half ago, and fans are eager to get a first look at the performance.
We hear rumors that Will Smith is getting back to his roots and stepping back into the recording studio. His career started out as a young rapper, who then topped charts with numerous hits like “Getting’ Jiggy Wit It”, “Just the Two of Us” and “Miami”. His latest album was released in 2005 but did not gain a following, which then ushered Will into producing and a focus on raising his family with Jada Pinkett Smith. Since then, both of his children Willow and Jaden have both made big names for themselves; Jaden pursuing his acting career and Willow following directly in her father’s footsteps topping charts with her music. The rumor stems from producer La Mar Edwards, who said during an interview “We’re working on Will Smith, bringing him back.” We can only hope this is true!
This is a beautiful picture of actor Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith standing with their daughter Willow on the red carpet at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in California. This year’s event took place on February 13th.
Jaden Smith, the Karate Kid-starring son of Will Smith, teamed up with teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber in the music video for the Biebs’ song Never Say Never. The two have been friends for quite a while now, and Bieber has referred to the young Smith as his “lil’ bro”. Will Smith’s daughter Willow is also tight with Bieber, and was invited to join him on tour in Europe.
This is the Never Say Never video. Enjoy!
Willow Smith MTV Brand New 2011 award
Will Smith’s daughter Willow Smith, the rising ten year old star, is one of the newcomers nominated for the MTV Brand New 2011 award. Justin Bieber’s win last year foreshadowed his major success during 2010, and the battle for a similar fate for Willow will be tough. Among the other nominees are Far East Movement, The Vaccines, Jessie J, Ruff Diamondz and Clare Maguire among others.
Willow is famous for her acting skills in movies like I am Legend, and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, as well as for her hit single “Whip My Hair,” which made it to the top twenty on the billboard chart this year. She is also a young ambassador for ‘Project Zambi’, which supports AIDS orphans in Africa.
Simon Cowell, the British music executive, television producer and entrepreneur, known for his role as an extremely critical judge in talent shows such as American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent and Pop Idol, has recently announced that he has hired a very unusual guest judge for next year’s season of X Factor; Willow Smith.
She will be working alongside Simon and other unconfirmed judges such as Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls and the much-loved Mariah Carey. The ten year old daughter of Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett will be the youngest judge ever to evaluate contestants on the show. She has already starred in various films and released a hit single titled “Whip My Hair.”
A source has stated that “Simon is determined to make US X Factor a complete triumph and he’s going to pull out all the stops to make sure that happens. Willow is big in the States at the moment, and Simon knows people will be fascinated to see her take on the competition. Simon’s been really impressed whenever he’s seen Willow interviewed and thinks she’s amazingly mature for her age.” Cowell has also told friends that he is greatly impressed by the girl’s “star quality.”
The new X Factor season will begin in September.
The apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the talent tree. In recent news, Willow Smith, the 9 year old daughter of acting phenom Will Smith, has signed a record deal. The deal is with rapper Jay-Z and she already has her first single, called Whip My Hair, on the internet.
In its first few days on YouTube, Whip My Hair was viewed more than 100,000 times.
“She has a child’s innocence but she has a clear vision of who she is and who she wants to be,” Jay-Z said, comparing Willow to a young Michael Jackson.
Not only is young Jaden Smith, son to Will Smith, an acting sensation in the remake of The Karate Kid, but he’s got his father’s rapping talent as well. He can be heard singing on one of the songs from the soundtrack to the new film by Columbia Pictures.
He is a guest artist on the single “Never Say Never” which is sung by teen sensation Justin Bieber. Watch the video here and enjoy seeing how the apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Here is an exciting glimpse of the Broadway musical produced by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. This musical uses Afrobeat music to tell the story of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s controversial life as an artists, political activist and revolutionary musician.
Kuti’s music is experiencing a revival at the moment. This is both due to the Broadway musical, and to the release of re-mastered editions of his entire music catalog.
Certainly, you never know which musicians will make a comeback and when. At the moment, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a pioneer in the mix of African music, jazz, funk and “Afrobeat” is enjoying a revival. As a global superstar in the 1970s, Fela Kuti is enjoying a comeback. While he’s been gone for over a decade, his revolutionary music is enjoying a resurgence in American pop culture.
Certainly, this revival is due to two main influences. “Fela!”, a hit Broadway musical, uses Afrobeat music to tell the story of Kuti’s life. This musical is backed by Jay-Z and Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. In addition to this obvious recognition of Kuti’s talents, Knitting Factory Records recently began releasing re-mastered editions of his entire catalog of music. This project will include, in total, nine albums that were recorded from 1969 to 1974.