Willow Smith shows up for brother Jaden Smith in intimate family moment

Just like Will Smith is slowly entering his musical comeback era, so too are his children Willow and Jaden Smith in their own new musical periods.

Willow, 23, recently released a deluxe edition for her new album Empathogen (which she is now campaigning for as a potential Grammys contender), which was initially dropped back in May. Jaden, 26, meanwhile, has now dropped a song and associated video for a track named “D.U.M.B.”

The newest single will act as the lead-up to his upcoming project, which he has dubbed a “mini-project,” titled 2024: A Case Study Of The Long Term Effects Of Young Love.

After sharing the track last week, Jaden announced that he would be hosting a fan screening of the new music video at the Calabasas Commons Regency Theatre in Los Angeles, which ultimately took place on Monday, October 7.

The singer and designer took to his social media to share an outtake from the screening, in which he is seen dancing along to the track (short for “Deep Underground Military Base”) as it plays on the big screen.

He was then surprised by his sister Willow popping into view from the corner and whispering to him before they both start dancing together, watch the sweet sibling moment in the video below…

Jaden got candid in a new interview with Billboard about the creative process behind his music and the heavy flow of emotion driving his latest era, describing himself “crying” in the studio and being “overwhelmed” by the work.

“Honestly, I’m so sad that it’s put me into a corner where I can’t do anything besides make music,” he admitted. “That’s why I decided to release this next project.” 

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“I kind of found my inspiration in making these mini-projects that are a couple of songs and I think kind of just put off a vibe and gets people like, ‘Dog, I really like this mini-pocket where he’s catching a very specific vibe for like four songs.’ Then kind of moving on.”

Of the recording process, he added: “Very long-term — songs I’ve been working on for other albums that didn’t make it and needed more time to figure out exactly what I wanted to do.” 

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“This has been over the course of three or four years. Literally, the process is me [expletive] crying in the studio, and then like, singing in between when I can make words happen. That’s really the process. I’m going through emotional things, dealing with those experiences and feeling overwhelmed.”

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Willow mirrored those emotions in her own recent interview with Dazed, saying she made Empathogen from a much lighter and calmer place compared to 2022’s acclaimed record Coping Mechanism.

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“I was deeply heartbroken,” she says of her mental state at the time. “I was getting blackout drunk almost every session for that album, and I was just in a bad spot. I was in a bad place.” 

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The jazz record Empathogen was inspired by nature and made completely sober. “I decided, like, OK, I’m done with this ‘woe is me, everyone’s against me’ attitude. It’s time to do a bit of work and figure out who you actually are.”