Willow Smith drops Paramore-inspired pop punk song with Travis Barker
28 April 2021, 12:00
Willow Smith shows off guitar skills on Instagram
"[Transparent Soul] was the song that proved to me that I needed to let go of the insecurities I had about making a project of this genre."
The new era of Willow Smith has officially arrived. The 20-year-old musician and actor has just dropped a brand new alt-rock track called 'Transparent Soul' with Blink-182's Travis Barker on drums – and it sounds incredible.
Alongside the stunning performance visual, Willow also shared some photos and clips on Instagram, alongside the caption: “I am so GRATEFUL and EXCITED to start this new journey !” she wrote. “Let the vibes commence.”
The vibes in question? Willow's musical influences behind the track are clear: It's a bit of Paramore, a bit of Fall Out Boy, with a little bit of Barker's signature Blink-182 drumming on top.
WILLOW - t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l feat. Travis Barker (Performance Visual)
Speaking about the inspirations behind the song, Willow said: “I am so grateful for this tune because it was created in such an introspective time (during the first couple months of quarantine). It was the song that proved to me that I needed to let go of the insecurities I had about making a project of this genre.”
“I never felt like I could sing that kind of music because I was always trained to sing R&B and pop,” she continued. “I realised that it’s not my voice that can’t sing this kind of music. I was afraid to sing this kind of music because I wasn’t sure what people would think.”
Willow drew inspiration from her own background in pop and R&B, after noting how the likes of Hayley Williams, Gerard Way and Patrick Stump were also influenced by those genres.
If you follow Willow on social media, you'll know her alternative, pop-punk sound is not completely out of the blue. She's been sharing videos of herself jamming on the guitar or performing rock covers with other artists for quite some time.
'Transparent Soul' is the first track to be released from Willow's upcoming full-length album, which will be released this summer.
The album will also feature more music inspired by her teenage alt rock, pop-punk and emo heroes, including Avril Lavigne, My Chemical Romance and, of course, Paramore.
Like Willow said... "Let the vibes commence!"
